The Department of Education (DepEd) is studying the effects of the six months of vacation students have had before the start of the academic year (AY) as it decides on its plans for the next AY.
In a Palace briefing, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said the agency was studying effects of prolonged vacation periods on teachers, parents and students.
“So, we are very careful in calibrating itong bakasyon kasi nakabakasyon na sila ng anim na buwan, magdagdag na naman tayo ng bakasyon. So, sabi namin makakatulong ba iyan?” she said.
“The thing is to make learning really relevant and hindi natin masyadong pahirapan ang bata sa pag-transition niya,” Briones added.
Students had six months of vacation in 2020 as the opening of classes was deferred from August to October.
“So we have a lot of catching up to do. Remember, other countries opened in June; we opened in October. So kapag sabihin mong i-extend mo iyong vacation, we have to balance also the impact of another series of no classes and so on when the children are asking for academic ease,” Briones said.
The DepEd earlier said it was mulling a compressed summer break which would only span two weeks. John Ezekiel J. Hirro