MANILA, Philippines – The academic calendar of public schools in the country is overcrowded with celebrations and contests, taking time away from core subjects that students should be focusing on.

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) found that around 150 legislated activities “crowd an already shortened school year.”

Examples of legislated observances and contests include the National Schools Press Conference, Palarong Pambansa, Nutrition Month, Philippine Environment Month, World AIDS Day, National Arts Month, Literacy Week, National Mental Health Week, Filipino Values Month, Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa, Consumer Welfare Month, and National Dengue Awareness Month, among others.

Based on a Department of Education (DepEd) order issued in 2005, 205 school days should be “strictly spent” on learning curriculum lessons in the classroom. Discussions on the significance of events that are being celebrated should just be integrated into classroom lectures, while contests should be conducted outside of school hours.

But EDCOM 2’s Final Report, released on Monday, January 26, shows public schools have an average of only about 191 school days based on recent academic calendars, and even these days get disrupted by celebrations and competitions.

“Many of these celebrations progress from school to division, regional, and national levels, with corresponding tryouts, practices, and documentation, effectively multiplying the time learners and teachers are excused from regular classes,” EDCOM 2 said.

“DepEd reports that some events, such as Araw ng Pagbasa, are intended to be simple one-hour synchronized activities, yet teachers in the field describe substantial preparation and reporting requirements that extend well beyond the scheduled hour and displace regular lessons,” added the commission.

Some celebrations even overlap with periodic tests, according to teachers and principals whom EDCOM 2 talked to.

The commission also flagged “multiple health, peace, environment, and youth-themed weeks and months, many with overlapping objectives and no clear guidance on how they should be prioritized relative to the core curriculum.”

Given the lack of guidance, teachers are forced to “make informal trade-offs, often at the expense of sustained time” for developing essential skills like reading.

EDCOM 2 called on the DepEd to conduct a system-wide review of celebrations, competitions, and other events, using the following criteria:

• relevance to curriculum standards
• evidence of impact
• equity of participation
• opportunity cost in terms of class days lost

Such a review can be used to identify what activities can be integrated into which subjects, which observances can be merged, how competitions can be redesigned or further aligned with the core curriculum, and how to ensure compliance with the required number of school days as well as optimal learning for students.

EDCOM 2 also urged Congress to “adopt a stricter standard for creating new legislated school-based observances so that future laws do not inadvertently erode learning time.” – Rappler.com