Now What? Should PUP consider shifting of School Calendar?

 It is announced—the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle University moved their opening of classes from June to September.

Now what? Has this activity affects other Philippine universities, particularly PUP, to reconsider shifting academic year openings?

The Polytechnic University of the Philippines, if ever to make internal decisions, must see to it that better measures should be reconsidered first before looking at moving the classes to September like the other schools.

One of these things to review is the main reason why lawmakers suggest the transferring of class openings, the rainy weather in the Philippines. Flood rates and heavy rainfalls interrupt schools in their academic activities by resulting into class suspensions and such. Heavier traffic and hassle travels also made the suggestion concrete as it is one of the problems of commuters, parents, and especially, the students.

PUP students always found it difficult to study during cyclones season and are also victims of hassles in the delays in the academic activities. It may look ‘sweet’ for us to have this way of answering our problems, but inner core of the candy contains ‘unwanted taste’ that must be focused on: Rainy period lasts from July to November. In fact, more of the landing cyclones cross our country from October to November. It only means that shifting the class openings to September doesn’t really give us a hell of a break from grave rainfalls and storm attacks. Yes, it may spare Metro Manila and other place on the Western side of the Philippines from stormy schooldays, but not in those of the Eastern region. On the part of the PUPians, September classes may be a quite-good idea, but if we look on our National state, the shifting only saves a little bit. We can still face rains and floods on schooldays anyway.

Furthermore, searing months of March-May, which are usually the vacation periods, would be included in the new academic year. In other words, students would be under hot temperature in school. I guess no one wants to study in hell. We may gamble to prevent activities’ delays during flood, but our price would show us no escape from floods of sweat coming from the suffering bodies of students tortured in a class under scorching weather.

Studying is quite difficult; moreover, studying in hell-like atmosphere would be insane.

Also, “quality time” is the parents’ concern about this topic. How would a family’s vacation would worth another heaven if the summer trips and fiestas such as Santacruzan would be left out unseen?

Finally, why would the school change the system if the DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro is not keen to implement it? He himself formulated some of these arguments.

Changing the school calendar is not the solution for quality education. It just ruins our heads. We don’t need that. PUPians are super resilient anyway.