DepEd: Going back to old school calendar takes time

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Education has expressed support to the proposal of the Cebu Provincial Board to revert the opening of school year to June.

DepEd Cebu Provincial Schools Division superintendent, Dr. Senen Priscillo Paulin, however, informed the local legislators that it will take years to materialize the proposal.

During the regular session yesterday, Paulin explained to the PB members that they are obligated to observe at least 200 school days but not more than 220 days.

“We are very happy that our Provincial Board has taken the cudgels of representing our learners, our school personnel of this intention to go back to the old school calendar but still we are concern of the number of school days,” Paulin said.

Paulin and Clint John Recopilacion, the federation president of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) Cebu Province, were invited by the PB to share their views on the proposed resolution sponsored by Board Member John Ismael Borgonia urging the DepEd to revert the opening of classes for elementary and secondary schools to June.

With the provision, Paulin said school year 2022-2023 will still end in July and if the intention is to start the next school year by June, the current school year should end before June.

“We thank you and silently we are in support of that, however, we are bound to the policies of our office and probably a legislation can only be the answer to this because the start of the school to start in June this could not be possible because we have to adhere the number of days,” Paulin explained further.

He also cited a magna carta which provides for the number of vacation days for teachers.

“If we move backward, it would cut their vacation days,” he added.

In an interview with The Freeman, Paulin disclosed that their target to go back to the pre pandemic school year is in 2025.  Recopilacion, also expressed support to the PB proposal.

The support of the parents to revert the opening of classes to June was affirmed by the informal surveys conducted by some PB members through social media.

For PB Member Glenn Anthony Soco, 96 percent of the more than a thousand respondents said they are in favor of the proposal.

PB Member Raymond Joseph Calderon also shared that an informal survey conducted by Board Member Stanley Caminero, who was on leave yesterday, showed that 95 percent also in favor of the proposal.

Borgonia also has 98 percent of his constituents in favor of his proposal.

Paulin also informed the PB members that DepEd central office has already created a task force looking into this matter to revert to the pre-pandemic school opening.

However, PB Member Cesar Baricuatro insisted that no enough reason to revert the opening of classes to June.

He said that if congestion has contributed to the heat inside the classrooms, more classrooms are needed to decongest.

“I believe truly that heat can be bear but you cannot bear the flooding, you cannot send your kids to school,” Baricuatro said.

Having heard the insights from Paulin, Borgonia said he will make some changes to his proposed resolution as suggested by Soco to possibly include Congress in the request.

“It is the prerogative of the Provincial Board to urge DepEd based on the welfare and the interest of the children and the DepEd personnel. Legislation is a good mechanism that could help us,” Paulin added. —  (FREEMAN)