By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson favors the proposal being pushed by the Senate which seeks to revert the current school year.

Lacson said the thrust of the country’s educational system was to adopt the international education system that every student also needs to rest.

“If we follow the current system right now, their break is during the rainy season. So they cannot really go out and relax,” Lacson said.

The governor says he sees the Senate’s point in bringing back summer break for students as it is the only suitable time wherein they can really enjoy their vacation.

“After thinking about it, yes it is very important nga ang mga estudyante would be given time to rest and also enjoy,” he added.

Another reason why Lacson pushes for the return to the March-end classes is due to excess heat brought by the dry season.

He pointed out not all classrooms in the country use air conditioning systems.

Lacson said the heat could also affect the students’ performance in schools.

On Tuesday, March 28, the Senate Committee on Basic Education suggested that schools should go back to the June-to-March academic year.

The suggestion was made after several high school students in Laguna province’s Cabuyao City were hospitalized due to heat exhaustion during a surprise fire drill.

The educational system adopted the current August-to-July school calendar due to the lockdowns imposed during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

With the pandemic already coming to a close, it is also time for the country’s school calendar to resume its previous schedules to give students the opportunity to go out and spend time with their families, the Senate said./DGB, WDJ