Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo has warned that teachers and students will lose their vacation break if the government abruptly reverts the opening of the school year to June.
Based on Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 03. series of 2024, the 2023-2024 Academic School year will end on May 31, 2024.
Romulo, chairperson of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, stressed the importance for teachers and learners to have a vacation break for their mental health.
"Yung sa mental wellness nung sa pahinga ng bata, yung learner natin, ay mawawala. Importante yung magka-break sila. Sa teachers din, napaka-important na magka-break sila," Romulo said during DZRH's Isyung Pambayan on Sunday, April 14.
The congressman also pointed out that public school teachers do not have sick leaves or vacation leaves.
Under the Omnibus Rules on Leave, rather than vacation or sick leave credits, public school teachers instead have proportional vacation pay (PVP) of 70 days of summer vacation plus 14 days of Christmas vacation.
"Under the Civil Service Commission rules, binibigyan sila, basta pumasok sila nung kabuuan ng pasok nila, ng parang leave, yung summer break na 60 to 70 days," Romulo explained.
"Karapatan na nila iyan dahil wala rin break sa kanilang binibigay," he added.
DepEd has also cautioned against immediate shifting the academic calendar, saying that it "would have significant impacts not only on learning outcomes but also on the well-being of learners and teachers due to the lack of sufficient breaks."
On Wednesday, April 10, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. assured that the government would work to revert the school calendar, which currently runs from August to July, to June to March due to the extreme heat.
The extreme heat has forced DepEd to suspend face-to-face classes in all public schools from April 15 to April 16.
