THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers National Capital Region Union urged the Department of Education to decide on the proposal to return to the old academic calendar.

The group lamented that the school year will soon end and yet the DepEd has yet to make known its position on the proposal.

“Pinipilit na lamang namin na mairaos pa ang pagtuturo sa mala-pugon na mga klasrum. Malala ang impact nito hindi lang sa learning outcomes kundi pati na rin sa kalusugan naming mga guro at ng mga bata,” Ruby Bernardo, ACT NCR Union President, said.

“Sa higit isang buwan na pagkaklase sa gitna ng tag-araw, nasa 74 percent ng mga guro ng NCR na lumahok sa aming sarbey kamakailan ang nagsabing maraming bata ang lumiliban sa klase, habang 49 percent ang nagsabing nagkakasakit ang mga bata at guro, gaya nang hika, altapresyon, nahihilo, naninikip ang dibdib, nagdurugo ang ilong, nagkaka-ubo’t sipon, nagkakasakit sa balat, at nahihimatay,” Bernardo added.

The group asked the Department to set a school calendar that is most favorable to learning.

More than 5,000 public school teachers in the National Capital Region participated in the online survey conducted from May 4 to 15, 2023.

Based on the survey, 86 percent of the respondents said that the heat in their classrooms is intolerable. The high temperatures also resulted in learner’s lack of focus on their lessons, they said.

“Sa puntong ito, ayaw na naming maulit pa sa mga susunod na taon ang ganitong kalunos-lunos na kalagayan. Hindi kami tatatag at tatagal sa matinding init. Inaasahan namin ang ‘sense of urgency’ ng kagawaran para sa kapakanan ng mga guro at ‘commitment’ nito sa pagiging makabata,” Bernardo said.

The group said the government should build more classrooms, hire more teachers and education support personnel, and provide necessary resources to improve learning conditions.