DepEd: Only selected schools will be affected by 4-day school week, if ever

Only those schools directly affected by the construction of Skyway 3 will be affected by the proposed four-day school week, if ever it will be implemented, a Department of Education official said Monday.

 

“Tutukuyin ang mga paaralan na maaapektuhan ng proyekto. Hindi magiging pangkalahatan ito,” Education Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs Tonisito Umali said in a phone interview with GMA News TV's Balitanghali.

 

He said Education Sec. Armin Luistro has asked the school division superintendents to identify the schools that will be affected. Luistro also formed a special task force to study the four-day school week recommendation of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and other suggestions to lessen the inconvenience on students.

 

“May humigit kumulang dalawang milyong mag-aaral sa Metro Manila at hindi lahat ay dumadaan sa EDSA o daang maaapektuhan kaya kailangang pag-aralan ito. Sila ay mai-inconvenience sa pagpunta sa kanilang paaralan kung hindi po tayo tutugon sa proposal,” he said.

On Monday, construction on the Skyway 3 extension project connecting the North Luzon and South Luzon Expressways began. The project is expected to last at least two years.

 

MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said there are at least 20 schools that will be affected by the traffic rerouting due to the construction but Umali said they still have to verify the number.

 

“Si Chair (Tolentino) nagtutukoy ng 20 paaralan. Kailangang i-validate 'yan kaya inutusan 'yung mga division superintendents para tukuyin ito,” Umali said in a separate interview with News To Go.

 

He added that they also need to consult the private schools which will be affected by the project.

 

Aside from the four-day school week, the DepEd is also looking at flexible time or extension of school hours or make-up classes in order to lessen the negative effect of the Skyway construction and the heavy traffic that it will cause on the schooling of the children.

 

“Maaaring makaapekto sa mga bata kung hindi gagawa ng paraan para macompensate 'yung nawawalang araw kung mangyayari man 'yun. 'Yun ang dahilan kaya pinag-aaralang mabuti kung ano ang pinakamagandang modelo para tugunan itong issue,” said Umali.

 

He said whatever will be the decision of the DepEd, whether it will adopt the suggestion of the MMDA or not, “we will do something para makasabay sa hamon na maibsan itong paghihirap na inaasahan. The answer is yes to the proposal of doing something to address the issue of decongesting traffic during the next two years.”

 

“Kung pare-pareho tayong hindi kikilos sa mga susunod na araw kung magkakaroon ng matinding traffic, mai-inconvenience 'yung mga mag-aaral,” he added.

 

CHED studying proposal

 

The Commission on Higher Education, meanwhile, is still in the process of looking into the MMDA proposal of distance learning system or open university scheme for universities and colleges.

 

“A four-day school week is an interesting possibility but will have to be studied and planned carefully. Very few HEIs (higher education institutions) will have the capacity to transfer their operations to nearby provinces,” CHED chairman Patricia Licuanan said in a text message to reporters.

 

“But indeed the traffic challenge has to be addressed. A multisectoral group should generate and consider other possible solutions,” she added.

 

In an interview with Balitanghali, lawyer Julito Vitriolo, CHED executive director IV, said offsite learning is a possible solution.

 

“That's one way kasi even at the issue of weather, we're looking into it. Learning could take place kahit wala sa classroom so this is a possible approach. It needs training din to do this. We need equipment, technologies and certainly students should be prepared to undertake and go into e-learning,” he said.

 

Four-day school week abroad

 

In an interview with News To Go, Tolentino said his proposal a four-day school week was not out of the blue. He said the scheme is being successfully implemented in 21 states in America and even in France and Canada.

 

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, those states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

 

It said more than 120 school districts host the shortened school scheme.

 

It said Georgia, Oklahoma and Washington were the most recent states to adopt legislation allowing four-day school week. There are states, however, such as Arkansas, Delaware, Pennslyvania, New Hampshire, Virginia and Washington that have a law allowing for four-day school week but no public school adopting it.

 

NCLA said the policy was first implemented in the 1930s and became more common in 1970s during the energy crisis.

 

Benefits seen

 

Tolentino said the schools, both private and public, would save 20 percent of their operating cost and expenses such as electricity, water and building maintenance with the four-day school week scheme.

 

He added one of the positive effects of the scheme was an improvement in the Mathematics achievement test of students in Colorado, among others.

 

“Mababawasan po 'yung absenteeism. Nabawasan 'yung disciplinary issue sa school. Mas mahaba 'yung bonding time with the family. Akma sa Pilipinas dahil 'yung Friday off we can utilize that for make-up class due to habagat or typhoon. That Friday can be used as professional advancement of teachers—pwede silang mag-seminar. 'Yung iba pwedeng mag-enroll sa masters. A lot of things can positively happen because of this,” he said.

 

Umali said the example cited by Tolentino can be true but the Philippines has a different situation from America.

 

“Maaaring totoo ngunit iba ang sitwasyon nila sa ibang bansa,” he said.

 

An article posted on The School Superintendents Association website in March 1999 cited the benefits and struggles experienced by different states which adopted the four-day school week.

 

One of the cases mentioned was in New Mexico where “school districts using the shorter week have realized unexpected educational benefits. Attendance for teachers and students has improved while student achievement on standardized tests has remained stable. And staff recruitment became easier because a four-day work week was more attractive to prospective teachers.”

 

An article posted on the University of Scranton website said among the benefits of the scheme were “a rise in morale and decrease in absenteeism, by both staff and students. Additionally, parents finally have time to make appointments for their children that won’t conflict with school, take long-weekend family trips, or attend sporting events—all without sacrificing academic instruction.” —KG, GMA News