Least disruptions of classes

The school year (SY) 2024-2025 is supposed to start today all over the country. The opening of classes for SY 2024-2025 has been deferred by a few days in many schools badly damaged by the severe flooding caused by Typhoon “Carina” last week. Nonetheless, SY 2024-2025 still ends on April 15, 2025 as earlier set by Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 008, Series of 2024.

As scheduled by the DepEd, all public and private schools nationwide are reverting to the old opening of classes. This is already a month late this year for the transition from the August SY calendar that DepEd implemented following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in our country in March 2020.

The DepEd had to delay its class opening in 2020 from June to October when it transitioned to “blended learning,” a combination of online and teaching modules, during the pandemic lockdowns. Since then, it has scheduled class openings in August and carried on to the Marcos administration until SY 2023-2024.

Notably, DepEd Order 008 issued on June 18 this year was among the last official directives signed by Vice President Sara Duterte during her stint as concurrent education secretary. Erstwhile Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, named as “acting” DepEd Secretary to replace VP Sara, is now implementing her directives.

But it was actually the policy decision of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) to proceed without further delay the reversion to the old SY calendar. Initially, VP Sara wanted a gradual transition to the old SY calendar.

DepEd’s reversion to the old SY calendar came after a series of consultations with parents, teachers and other education groups amid the national debates spawned by the extreme heat during the summer period in our country when El Niño phenomenon struck. During the summer season from April to May, the prolonged dry spell in our country had become unbearable not only to teachers but also to children and students, most especially in many poorly ventilated classrooms in public schools. Thus, classes were suspended during days when the heat index skyrocketed.

Those against going back to the old SY calendar countered that June is the onset of the rainy season in our country with its attendant flooding. More often than not, classes are suspended whenever a typhoon is raised to Signal No. 3 in terms of the strength of rains and dangers of severe flooding. In fact, at least 20 typhoons visit the Philippines on average each year. This is not to mention the climate change phenomenon of “super” typhoons. The last one we had was Ondoy which caused massive deaths and property damage in September 2009.

In the end, DepEd concurred with the general preference to revert to June school opening.

Unfortunately, no one can anticipate the force of nature.

After the long dry spell, its opposite weather condition called La Niña, or the long wet season, is now upon our country. Closely coming one after the other, Typhoons Butchoy and Carina unleashed extra volumes of rainfall all over the country. So much so that many dams that precariously reached lowest water levels during the El Niño have overflowed and flooded many low-lying areas, reaching as far as Metro Manila.

Many parts of the country, including the entire National Capital Region (NCR), were submerged in deep flooding. Making it worse, Carina enhanced the habagat or southwest monsoon period we are having at this time of the year. Hundreds of people fled to higher grounds and most of them were taken to schools that once again served as evacuation centers.

As announced by DepEd Secretary Angara, schools that were not severely damaged by the floods can proceed with today’s scheduled opening of classes. Sadly, there are as many as 1,002 schools that could not start classes yet while repair and clean up of flood damage in these schools are still ongoing.

The annual public school cleanup campaign dubbed Brigada Eskwela that was held this year from July 22 to 27 will need a part two.

While PBBM wants all classroom sessions to proceed starting today “as much as possible,” the realities on the school grounds cannot be ignored. According to the President, he had instructed DepEd to do everything they can humanly possible. “Ang pagpasok, gawin niyo hangga’t maaari, kung kaya niyo buksan... Hangga’t maaari, open the schools and conduct classes. But there are areas na hindi talaga pwede,” PBBM conceded.

Regardless of whether it’s June or August school opening, the Philippine Education for Business (PBEd) is advocating the adoption of “climate-proof” classrooms and for the local government units (LGUs) to provide ample support for “blended learning” to their respective constituencies, like provision of public WiFi or free internet services in each barangay.

“So I do think ‘blended learning’ is important because one of our problems is we have too many holidays, not to mention typhoons, and we have a long summer period. So we need every way to ensure the child’s learning is continuous even if there is typhoon,” PBEd president Chito Salazar told us during our Kapihan sa Manila Bay last July 10.

Salazar rightly noted the 20 or so official national holidays in the Philippines when there are no classes in all levels. Not to mention the local holidays where the schools are located, Salazar added.

“And connectivity. So I think that’s something DepEd can work on with the private sector to make sure that every school is connected to the internet and has electricity,” Salazar stressed.

There are about 45,000 to 50,000 public elementary and public high schools in the Philippines. Currently, there are an estimated 18.9 million students enrolled in elementary and high schools around the country. What is more important is to get our schoolchildren out of the “learning crisis.” Aided by the needed educational tools, PBEd believes this can be achieved with at least ten months or 300 school days.

Indeed, “climate-proof” schools ought to be the basic design for the repair of existing schools or building of new ones to ensure least disruption of classes each year.