THE Department of Education (DepEd) remains noncommittal regarding the possibility of changing the school opening date to September to avoid the rainy season.
Class cancellations have been a norm during the months of June to August due to frequent visits by storms.
Last month, six tropical cyclones alone either grazed the country or crossed land such as "Juaning" (international codename: Nock-ten), which killed over 50 people and wrought damage of nearly P2 billion.
"We are not saying no to the proposal but we recommend that the current weather conditions and the effects of climate change as well as the frequency of typhoons hitting specific parts of the country be considered," Education Secretary Armin Luistro said.
Various groups led by Federation of Associations of Private Schools and Administrators (Fapsa) noted that 25 to 30 days each year are lost owing to cancellations induced by inclement weather.
This even prompted Senator Franklin Drilon and Cavite Representative Lanie Mercado-Revilla to file bills (Senate Bill 2407 and House Bill 4895) seeking to move the opening of classes to September to spare students, parents and teachers from the inconveniences of the rainy season.
However, a survey conducted by the department between August and September 2009 showed that 13 out of 16 regions in the country opposed the proposal.
Luistro said only three regions Central Luzon (54 percent), Western Visayas (68 percent) and Western Mindanao (51 percent) scored majority approvals.
Aside from enduring sweltering heat during the summer months of April and May, the study found out that school heads were worried about paying higher electricity bills due to the need to increase ventilation in classrooms.
The education chief also pointed out the possibility of students skipping classes during summer because of traditional celebrations like Holy Week, town fiestas, and even Flores de Mayo, which are normally spent with the family.
DepEd said some 74 percent or 145 out of 197 school divisions joined the survey. The respondents included teachers, parents, local government officials and other stakeholders.
Among countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Malaysia and Singapore open their classes in January, February in China, March in South Korea, April in Japan and India, May in Thailand, July in Indonesia and September in Hong Kong. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)
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