ADVOCACY group Philippine Business for Education on Wednesday said the Department of Education should make a firm and consistent decision to revert to the old school calendar to minimize learning disruption.

“Changes in the academic calendar must take into consideration the continuity and conduciveness of the learning environment. Our students need a fixed schedule,” the PBEd said.

The decision to revert to the old academic calendar, according to PBEd, should not be seen as a stopgap measure to address the underlying issues that make the existing school calendar unbearable.

“To safeguard our children, we need to make sure that classrooms can withstand extreme weather conditions and have transportation support available,” it said.

The PBEd also noted that DepEd should ensure the additional number of school days needed to offset the days lost due to national holidays and class suspensions.

“Alternatives to face-to-face classes should also be explored in the event of class suspensions. Now is the time for DepEd to institutionalize good practices from remote learning experience, whether through assigned modules, or online or broadcast classes,” the PBEd said.

The group also urged local government units to get involved in addressing and ensuring that physical and digital infrastructure is in place so that learning continues.