DepEd to shorten next school year by 15 days

MANILA, Philippines —  The Department of Education (DepEd) will cut the prescribed minimum of 180 school days for the coming school year 2024-2025 by 15 days to ensure that students and teachers are not in classrooms during extreme summer heat by April and May 2025.

DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas said the agency plans to start SY 2024-2025 on July 29 and end it on March 31, 2025, with 165 school days or 15 days short of the 180 to 220 days prescribed by the law.

“The immediate effect of the transition is if we’re going to end in March 2025, the number of school days will be reduced to 165. Historically, the minimum has been 180 school days, and because we will shorten the SY, we will have to cope with the possible non-covering of some competencies,” Bringas explained in an interview on PTV.

To prevent schools from being unable to cover all required competencies for the next SY, the DepEd will employ drastic measures to ensure all competencies are covered in a shorter period of time, according to the education official.

“So that’s what the curriculum and teaching strands are preparing to make sure that there will not be an increase or additional learning loss,” he said.

President Marcos earlier directed the DepEd to immediately revert to the June-to-March academic calendar, prompting the agency to aba