THE TEACHERS’ Dignity Coalition urged the Department of Education to return the school calendar to its original schedule to ensure that school children learn in a conducive environment.

TDC Chairman Benjo Basas, in a letter addressed to Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, said that teachers and students endured the heat during the dry months which resulted in illness to some. It also forced some schools to shorten the number of school hours or switch to online or modular learning.

The TDC proposed that the start of classes for SY 2023-2024 be set on August 28 and end on April 27, 2024. It said that this schedule will allow a 46-day school break. It also suggested that the remaining 14 days of supposed school break be treated as leave credit or paid vacation or sick leave for teachers.

Meanwhile, School Year 2024-2025 should start on June 17, 2024 and end on April 11, 2025.

“In this scheme, the DepEd could ensure that by SY 2024-2025, we would have reverted to our old school calendar with minimal adjustments, and without sacrificing the mandatory school break for teachers. Lastly, for SY 2025-2026, we will be fully reverted to the original June-March school calendar, which has worked for the country ever since,” Basas said.

The group said that while it recognizes DepEd’s decision to authorize school heads to cancel classes based on the heat index, it calls for more strategic solution from the agency to address the problem.

It called for the construction of more classrooms designed for the Philippine climate and adequate ventilation in the classrooms. The group also suggested hiring more teachers and teaching personnel to reduce classroom sizes.