No need for make-up sessions after F2F class suspensions – VP Sara

There is no need for schools to implement make-up classes after face-to-face classes were suspended in some areas in the past few days due to the scorching heat, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said Monday.

In an ambush interview, Duterte explained that there was no disruption in the learning of the students as their classes shifted to either online or modular when there was a suspension of face-to-face classes. 

“Hindi na (kailangan ng make-up classes) dahil ang sinuspend lang naman natin ay ‘yung in-person classes. Pero ‘yung pag-aaral nila ay tumutuloy ‘yun sa alternative delivery modes tulad ng online o modular,” she told reporters.

(There’s no need for make-up classes because what we only suspended are the in-person classes. Their studies will continue through alternative delivery modes such as online or modular.)

Several schools and local government units have been suspending in-person classes and temporarily shifted to alternative delivery modes in the past few weeks due to the severe heat.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has given school heads the authority to decide on their own if face-to-face classes need to be suspended in their respective schools due to hot temperatures aggravated by the El Niño phenomenon.

Students and teachers could also wear more comfortable clothing in schools—which is subject to dress codes—in an effort to counter the heat.

School calendar

Duterte also clarified that the consultations of DepEd with its personnel and stakeholders regarding the return of the June to March school calendar is already done, amid the calls to shorten its transition period.

“‘Yun na ang nalatag sa mga consultations natin na sa susunod na taon, matatapos tayo ng mid-May at sa susunod na taon ay matatapos tayo ng April and then balik na tayo sa March,” she said.

(We’ve already established based on the consultations that the next school year will end in mid-May, and the following year in April, until it reaches March.)

For the 2023-2024 school year, DepEd set the end of the academic year earlier than scheduled—or on May 31, 2024—to gradually shift back to the old school calendar with April-May as the summer vacation.

The SY 2024-2025 in public schools is set to start on July 29, 2024 and end on May 16, 2025.

Citing DepEd’s projections, Undersecretary Michael Poa earlier said that the pre-pandemic June-March school calendar might return by SY 2026-2027, with the school break by then beginning in the first week of April.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate basic education committee, on Thursday raised the need to study the shortening of the transition period to the pre-pandemic calendar due to the extreme hot weather.

Duterte, for her part, stressed that the break of both teachers and students should not be compromised. 

“Hindi natin pwedeng i-compromise ang pahinga ng ating mga teachers and ng ating mga learners dahil hindi natin pwedeng idire-diretso ang mga klase dahil kailangan ng pahinga hindi lang ng mga teacher kundi ng mga mag-aaral,” she added.

(We cannot compromise the rest period of our teachers and our learners. We can’t shorten the transition period because not only the teachers need time for rest, but our students too.)—RF, GMA Integrated News