Marcos OKs reverting to old academic calendar

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the return of the traditional school calendar, Malacañang said.

In a sectoral meeting attended by Vice President Sara Duterte in Malacañang, Marcos addressed public concerns on the current schedule of classes.

To gradually bring back the April-May school break, Marcos approved a start date of July 29, 2024 for the upcoming school year, with an end date of April 15, 2025.

Duterte, also the Education Secretary, presented two options for the calendar shift: The first consists of 180 school days with 15 in-person Saturday classes, while the second option was to have 165 school days with no in-person Saturday classes. Both options will end on March 31, 2025.

Marcos rejected the 165-day school calendar suggestion, noting that it is “too short” and may compromise learning outcomes. 

He also does not want students to go to school on Saturdays "because it will jeopardize their well-being and the setup demands more resources." Because of this, he approved the 180 school days but adjusted the end of the school year to April 15.

“Habaan lang natin ‘yung school days. Para matagal, dagdagan na lang natin ‘yung school days basta huwag natin gagalawin ‘yung Saturday. So, school day will remain the same. Standard lang,” said Marcos.

The intense heat brought on by El Niño has caused numerous class suspensions since April. This prompted the government to revert to the old school calendar.