Perhaps, there shall be a witty reason for moving classes to September, but to follow the Philippine Universities in shifting their school calendar is not just acceptable.
Several universities in the country have already expressed intention to gradually shift the start of their academic calendars to be in sync with their foreign counterparts. DepEd Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali says that based on a survey conducted by the agency in 2009, most parents still want classes to open in June to be able to spend ‘quality time’ with their children. Moreover, the sudden change of school calendar cannot directly address problems that the school children face due to climate change.
Elementary and secondary schools in the country are not expected to shift calendars, but if most of our universities and colleges would then, the Department of Education has no choice but to follow the majority. However, it is still in the discretion of the Congress to clear the issue. Surely, the decision whether to move classes from June to September would take time. In addition to this, Secretary Hermino Coloma Jr. of the Presidential Communications Operation Office likewise said that DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro himself sees no immediate reason to change academic calendar. Other Southeast Asian countries do not have uniform schedule of school opening yet, their education system seems to be just fine.
We have loads of problems that seek more attention. The difficulty in the school calendar is probably 5 % of the major troubles we face in the education department. There are more things that must be prioritized the demand for sufficient supply of books, the congestion of global competitiveness, and the lack of classrooms due to the enlargement of this generation’s populace. However, if the calendar would be altered, this would be another huge adjustment.
“Dahil matagal nang ang pasukan ay Hunyo, kung ililipat ito ay dahil sa tamang dahilan,” Umali said in an interview. What hangs in the balance is the quality of education, still mired in deprived quality, and interest. To line ourselves with countries ahead of us is not a considerable motive.
Well, let’s look more on the brighter side.
By: JACQUELINE T. LIMUA | TEACHER III | MARIVELES NATIONAL HIGHSCHOOL-POBLACION | MARIVELES,BATAAN
