BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Schools in Negros Occidental need more electric fans to help suppress heat inside classrooms this dry season.
Students were complaining of high temperatures, according to the province’s Department of Education (DepEd) spokesperson Ian Arnold Arnaiz.
A standard classroom with 45 students needed at least two electric fans, he said.
The DepEd-Negros Occidental spokesperson is hopeful that calls for the return to the old school calendar would be considered by the higher ups in the DepEd.
Based on DepEd’s guidelines, the school year has been extended for another week with the graduation ceremonies to be held from July 10 to 14 this year.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson had said he favored the return to the old academic calendar that set the end of the school year in March which is the beginning of the dry season.
During the Duterte administration, DepEd adjusted the school calendar to keep pace with the international educational system.
However, Lacson said, the current situation demands a rethinking of the prevailing school calendar.
“If we follow the current academic calendar, the school break is during the rainy season. Students cannot really go out and relax,” Lacson said.
The governor said he sees the point of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian to bring back the April-to-May summer break as it is the only suitable time for students to really unwind.
Another reason he is pushing for the return to the old school calendar is the scorching heat of the dry season that is not conducive for leaning.
Not all classrooms have air-conditioning units, he pointed out.
He further stressed the high heat index could affect the learning performance and even the health of students./PN
