ShareThisQUEZON CITY – Lawmakers are strongly pushing to reset the opening of the school year from June to September for the health protection, safety and overall well being of school children and student youth.
Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro City) said such a move would also make the school calendar most suited to Philippine climatic conditions and address the change in the global weather patterns caused by climate change.
Under House Bill 1388 filed by Rodriguez and his brother Rep. Maximo Rodriguez Jr. (Party-list, Abante Mindanao), the annual school calendar for pre-elementary and secondary levels shall comprise of two semesters, with two hundred twenty (220) school days for every calendar years.
“The first semester shall start the first week of September and shall continue until the second week of January; and the second semester shall start the third week of January and continue until the last week of May,” Rodriguez said.
The proposed bill to be known as the “School Calendar Act of 2010” shall also include three trimesters for post-secondary and tertiary levels with 220 school days for every calendar year.
Under the bill, the First Semester of the proposed school calendar for post-secondary and tertiary levels shall be September to December to avoid the months of heaviest rains and greater number of typhoons; the Second Semester from January to April with provisions for the holidays and traditional graduation ceremonies; and the Third Semester from May to August to cover hot summer days and months with the heaviest rains.
The Rodriguez brothers filed the bill as they expressed alarm over the adverse climatic conditions affecting the 15.5 million pre-elementary, elementary and secondary school children. Authorities have reported an additional enrolment of about 300,000 each year.