Despite the call of a senator to move back summer vacation for schools to April and May amid the hot weather, the Department of Education (DepEd) has no plan to do so at present, spokesperson Michael Poa said on Wednesday.
“At the moment, there are no plans to revert,” Poa told reporters in a message when asked about Senator Sherwin Gatchalian’s call to move the school break back from its current July to August schedule.
“As mentioned in a previous statement, school heads have the discretion to suspend in-person classes and immediately switch to ADM (Alternative Delivery Mode) or blended learning if the environment is not conducive to learning,” he added.
Poa said the DepEd “will take note of the suggestions and study the matter.”
On Tuesday, Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate basic education committee, said it is time to bring back the April–May summer vacation, prompted by a recent incident in Cabuyao City, Laguna where more than 100 students were taken to a hospital during a surprise fire drill at noontime.
“Kailangan ibalik ‘yan sa dati (We need to bring it back) … It’s time to bring it back, especially now that it’s normal already,” the senator said, referring to the lifting of restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some students passed out due to hunger and dehydration as on the day of the drill, the heat index in Cabuyao hovered between 39 to 42 degrees Celsius, according to a disaster management official.
