President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. has approved the proposal of the Department of Education (DepEd) to revert to the old academic calendar by next year.

The new scheme accelerates DepEd’s original five-year timeline in an attempt to immediately dodge dangerous summer heat indices that have been disrupting classes the past weeks. 

“I don’t see any objections really from anyone especially with the El Niño being what it is,” Marcos was quoted as saying in an ABS-CBN report.

“Every day, you turn on the news face-to-face classes are canceled, face-to-face classes have been postponed etc. So talagang kailangan na kailangan na. So yes, that’s part of the plan, that we’re trying to do to bring it back already to the old schedule. I think it would be better for the kids,” he added.

The change will see the 2024-2025 school year ending two months earlier in March, with classes starting in June. 

In a Senate hearing last week, DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Cesar Bringas said the “aggressive approach” is a response to strong public clamor to address safety concerns during peak heat months. 

The new school calendar will mean classes on Saturdays to compensate for fewer in-person days. The DepEd is eyeing to complete at least 165 in-person classes, below the mandated minimum of 180-day classes, but online classes would be counted to fill the gap.