THE TEACHERS’ Dignity Coalition backed the proposal that the academic calendar should be reverted back to the old system to accommodate school breaks during the hottest months of the year.

The group, however, admitted that there are underlying issues that need to be tackled.

“Itong problema ng init sa ating mga paaralan ay dapat nating harapin at hindi takasan. Hindi po solusyon sa ngayon na simpleng ibabalik lamang sa Abril at Mayo ang bakasyon ay tapos na ang problema,” Benjo Basas, the group’s national chairperson, said.

“Remember prior to pandemic, there was a perennial proposal to move the opening of classes to August or September primarily due to weather disturbances during the rainy months of June and July,” Basas added.

Reverting to the old academic calendar will necessitate adjustments that may take several years to implement, he said.

“A more strategic approach is needed, for instance, a lower class size of not more than 25 learners, more resilient classrooms designed for learners’ convenience and provisions of electric fans or even air-conditioning system. Surely, we would be needing funds and policies to implement such,” he explained.

“Mainit talaga sa ating classrooms hindi lang dahil mainit ang panahon kundi dahil marami sa ating mga klase ay siksikan dahil sa mataas na class size, hindi maayos ang bentilasyon at limitado ang mga electric fans. Kung ito ang problema, ito ang bigyan natin ng solusyon,” Basas said.

The TDC proposed shortening the instructional time.

“The DepEd may opt to shorten the class time from 6 to 10 in the morning and from 2 to 6 in the afternoon. By doing so, learners and teachers will be spared from the scorching heat between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.,” Basas said.

The TDC said that shortening instructional time has been the practice in the DepEd system and with the introduction of distance learning modalities, the lost time can be replaced by guided learning thru an online or modular approach.

“Huwag naman ‘yung totally ay walang contact ang mga bata sa kanilang teacher for the whole week,” Basas said.

The TDC reiterated that public school teachers are entitled to two months break which may be compromised if the DepEd will revert immediately to the old system.

“We need to fix this and make sure that the welfare of our teachers is considered before implementing the return to the old school calendar,” Basas said.