Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Monday urged the country's education agencies to hasten the revert of the June-March academic calendar to mitigate the possible hazards people may acquire due to the extremely hot weather. 

"The almost unbearable rise in temperature for the summer and the recurring cancellation of face-to-face classes are both compelling reasons to fast-track the return to a June to March academic calendar and spare students, as well as teachers, from the ill effects of the extreme heat," Zubiri said in a statement. 

Zubiri urged the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to immediately revert to the pre-pandemic academic calendar for the school year (SY) 2024-2025, instead of implementing a gradual return by SY 2025-2026. 

"Aside from exposing our students and teachers to the dangers of extreme heat, I honestly believe that the prevailing weather conditions during summer are not conducive to learning," he noted. 

Amid the ongoing dangerous effects of the El Niño phenomenon, Zubiri withdrew his previously filed resolution seeking to synchronize the opening of all school classes in the country from August to September of each year. 

Senate Bill 788, filed by Zubiri at the start of the 19th Congress, also aims to harmonize the opening of classes nationwide with the academic calendars of the country's neighboring nations in the Northern Hemisphere.

"In an ideal world, we do want to be in sync with international school calendars, to give our students a better chance at getting into programs abroad," Zubiri said. 

"But the reality is that the August calendar has proven to be disruptive to our education system, and even dangerous to the health of our children and school staff," he added.