THE Cebu Provincial Board (PB) has deferred a resolution urging the Department of Education (DepEd) to return the opening of elementary and high school classes to June.
Its author, Third District PB Member Ismael Borgonia, initially pushed the resolution during their regular session on Monday afternoon, May 8, 2023, but his colleagues suggested getting the side first of the Provincial School Board (PSB), which is headed by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.
Borgonia was worried about the effects of the extreme heat during the summer months of March, April, and May on the health of students and teachers, who are often cramped inside crowded classrooms.
He also pointed out that their studies were interrupted by long holidays like the Holy Week and the Araw ng Kagitingan in April and Labor Day in May.
He said their classes would further be interrupted when schools are used to prepare for local and national elections, which take place in May.
“It is timely, relevant, and utmost necessity to provide alternative avenues to solve this problem in order to deliver quality education to the students," Borgonia said in his resolution.
Seventh District PB Member Cesar Baricuatro, Second District PB Member Stanley Caminero, Sixth District PB Member Glenn Anthony Soco and Ricardo Pepito, president of the Philippine Councilors League Cebu chapter, were in favor of consulting the PSB on the matter before tackling it.
However, Celestino Martinez III, president of the Association of Barangay Councils, said in advance that he would abstain if the PB forced the passage of the resolution because he did not want to be a part of it, saying the DepEd would not solve the problem by reverting to the old school calendar.
Borgonia clarified that his resolution was only an appeal to the DepEd Central Office. If passed, it would not necessarily mean classes would automatically open in June instead of August this year, he said.
The PB will take up his resolution during its next regular session on May 15. (PAC, PJB)