PARENTS and their children must be happy now that the government has restored the old school calendar for the schedule of classes.

It’s not completely back to the original school calendar but at least that’s where we’re going.

For those who haven’t read the news about this matter, they’d be glad to know that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recently approved to start reverting the country’s school calendar to the traditional arrangement.

Thus, the opening of classes for school year 2024-2025 will begin on July 29 this year and end on April 15, 2025.

This will start the gradual return of the school year to June of every year until end of March the next year.

The chief executive met with the Vice President at Malacañan Palace to discuss the two options for the implementation of School Year (SY) 2024-2025 calendar in light of the shift to the old June to March school calendar.

In a sectoral meeting with Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, President Marcos told the Department of Education (DepEd) to start the return of the standard school calendar days starting SY 2024 to 2025. \

It can be remembered that the President called on DepEd to immediately make the shift on the school calendar for the benefit of the students.

As a result, the Vice President presented two options to the President for the school calendar shift.

The first option comprised of 182 school days with 15 in-person Saturday classes while the second option was to have 167 school days with no in-person Saturday classes.

Both options will end the SY on March 31, 2025

However, the President said the 167-day school calendar is “too short” as such arrangement will significantly reduce the number of school days and contact time that may compromise learning outcomes.

He also did not want students to be going to school on Saturdays to complete the 182-day school calendar because it will jeopardize their well-being and demand more resources.

As a compromise, he said instead of ending on March 31, 2025, DepEd should adjust the SY to end on April 15, 2025 to enable students to complete 182 days without using Saturdays to go to school.

Meanwhile, it’s good that the government is trying its best to deliver the human resources our country needs, especially in the medical sector.

It was learned that more state universities and colleges (SUCs) are producing medical professionals during the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. compared to the previous administration].

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa revealed this development during a sectoral meeting with President Marcos.

Discussed in the meeting was the proposed national workforce support system that aims to address the gap in human resources for health in line with the Philippines’ commitment to meet the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDG).

Herbosa said there are now 20 state universities and colleges that are graduating medical students.

Sharing more data, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairperson Prospero De Vera clarified there are already 21 SUCs that offer medical programs while there are 3,000 scholars who chose to serve in underserved areas.

De Vera also told the President that there are now around 3,000 doctors to the barrio program from the previous 900.

According to the health chief, among those presented to the President is the need for human resources after the DOH identified gaps in the health sector.

He said about 190,000 personnel are needed to fill in the gaps of the Philippine health care system, considering the medical professionals leaving for overseas employment and those graduating from medical and nursing schools.

On the government’s thrust to hire healthcare associates, or nursing graduates that haven’t passed the board examination, Herbosa said the program has been continuing with the help of the private sector.

There is really nothing we can’t achieve if we work together.

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