REPUBLIC Act No. 7797, a law passed in 1994, extending the school calendar from 200 to a maximum of 220 instructional days, mandates the opening of classes between the first Monday in June and the last day in August.
At the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11480, a law amending Section 3 of RA No. 7797, which provides that in the event of a declaration of a state of emergency or state of calamity, the president, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Education, may set a different date for the start of the school year in the country or in parts of the country.
On this basis, the 2020-2021 schoolyear began on October 5, 2020; for the 2021-2022 school year, on September 13, 2021; and for the 2022-2023 school year, on August 22, 2022.
This year, classes end on July 7, 2023, and the supposed “summer” vacation occurs in the wet season of July and August.
There are calls to reinstate the original statutory start of classes between the first Monday in June and the last day in August, which is also provided for in the amendment.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the regular start of classes was usually in the first two weeks of June, while summer vacation was in April and May. The main reason for the clamor is the intense summer heat. It is too hot to teach and learn in classrooms not designed for use in hot weather.
Indeed, the past few weeks have been hot and humid, extreme heat conditions they say. And yes, our classrooms and public schools were never designed for summer use. That’s a big problem.
Of course, you can mitigate the heat with technology, but that would be quite costly, and very prohibitive.
There has been discussion in the past about moving the start of the school year to September to align with the start of classes in the United States. Many professors, teachers and students could easily study abroad without losing days if the start of classes coincided with theirs.
Parents of children who play sports would also be pleased with September because their children could then participate in summer games abroad without being absent from their classes. The months of June to August fall in the rainy season, and classes are always interrupted because of floods and typhoons. It is better to avoid these months so that our children are safe and classes are not always interrupted.
Farmers also want their children to help during the planting season, which usually begins in June or July when the rainy season starts. And so the argument goes.
Starting classes in June comes with the risk of interruptions caused by rainy weather, typhoons, and floods. While these lost days cannot be regained, online classes have proven to be an effective solution during the pandemic, the delivery of which was tested and perfected during that time.
On the other hand, starting classes in September doesn’t guarantee uninterrupted classes, as typhoons can still cancel classes in November and December.
However, if we opt for a September start, we lose the opportunity for our children to enjoy summer. Can we really afford to continuously sacrifice their summer breaks? I mean summer break in the summer of April and May, not ‘summer’ break in the wet season of July and August.
One reason classes start in June and end in April, the traditional academic year, is so our children can enjoy the summer in April and May. Summer is here for the children.
In the United States and other countries, classes start in September because summer is in July and August. They arrange their classes so that their children can enjoy summer. In Japan, classes end before and begin after the Sakura blossoms. The cherry blossom is celebrated as both the beginning and the end. They align their lessons with the cultural celebration so that the children and their parents can enjoy the Sakura!
With climate change, the determination of rainy and dry seasons and the occurrence of typhoons seem to be constantly changing. If our schools are not designed to be used in the hot months and we want our children to enjoy the summer, then we should align classes – the opening and closing of schoolyears – so that our children enjoy the summer and we do not use our schools on hot summer days.
There is another compelling reason. Summer is also the peak season for tourism. Foreigners flee their countries to escape the cold of winter and head to the tropics to enjoy another summer. When school vacations fall in the summertime, our capable and qualified students can also work in resorts, beaches, restaurants, travel and tours, and any other jobs that are needed when tourists are everywhere during the high season.
This would create opportunities for students to earn income from tourism-related jobs, further enriching their education and work experiences. Summer vacations for our children. Summer jobs for our youth. Reclaim summer for them.
