DepEd Boss Cancels Sembreak , Cuts Xmas, Summer Vacations

With the week-long suspension of classes brought about by tropicalstorm “Ondoy” and super typhoon “Pepeng,” Education Secretary Jesli Lapus yesterday said they had cancelled the semestral break for elementary and secondary levelsand shortened the Christmas and summer vacations to make up for the number o lost days.

“Wala ng sembreak , may pasok ang mga estudyante para mapunan ang oras na nawala dahil sa pagkakansela ng klase bunga ng bagyo,”Lapus said.

The Department of Education calendar says the school year shall begin on June 1,2009 and end on March 31,2010.

There shall be 54 class days in the first quarter, 48 in the second, 51 in the third and 51in the last quarter, Lapus said.

He added holding make up classes is necessary to attain the required 204 classes are usually held on Saturdays and semestral breaks.

“Double shifting must be employed and covered courts should also be used when necessary to augment class contact. Modularized instructions for home study may also be utilized to make up for the loss class hours,” the education chief said.

Lapus instructed DepEd National Capital Region Director Teresita Domalanta and other regional directors to provide the guideliness for the holding of make up classes.

Meanwhile, the education chief said that it is back to school today for most students.

Lapus said in general classes will resume today, except in areas which remain inaccessible due to floods brought by Ondoy or where schools are still being used as evacuation centers and areas where classes were ordered suspended by local authorities due to by bad weather.

“In most parts of these areas,schools are still being used as evacuation center and many homes are still submerged in floodwaters and,,worse,,mud which would make it very difficult for students in these places to go to school,”Lapussaid.

Record show 16,328 famlies from three regions ,including Metro Manila,temporarily sheltered in 204 schools.