According to sources, the Philippines and Thailand are the only countries that start their classes in June. Under the new academic calendar, the first semester will be from August to December; the second semester, from January to May; and the short term, from June to July.
When I was in high school, I had always wished that classes would start in summer because I hate going to school during rainy season. It is hard to go to school during that period. Floods and typhoon are just some of the reasons why I hate classes during rainy season. And most of the time classes are suspended.
With the change in the start of the school year, graduating high school students who will choose to enter the university will have a longer break – approximately 5 months – compared to the two months they currently have between graduation and the start of college.
The advantage of changing the start of classes is that this would now be aligned with the international academic calendar. The United States and most of Europe start the school year around mid- July to first week of September. Some even start as late as first week of October. The K + 12 programs are part of this alignment to facilitate mutual recognition treaties of Philippine diplomas to academic institutions in other countries.
One disadvantage of moving the academic calendar is that one has to go to class during the hottest month of the year. Imagine what it would feel like, especially in the Philippine situation where not all the classrooms are well ventilated.
All in all, the change of classes from June to August is just fair because we’ll be aligning with the international academic calendar. Our graduates will get jobs in other countries much easier than before. With this, the students from our country will be more competent and ready if they plan to work abroad.
By:
Paola Hines
BS Mass Communication
New Era University