Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Bill - Hon. Kristine Tyrol Rosales
Republic of the Philippines
YOUTH CONGRESS
Baguio City
Introduced by HONORABLE KRISTINE TYROL Z. ROSALES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This act would suffice the urgency and justifiable need to protect the health, safety and the totality of well-being of school children and student youth by adopting a school calendar most applicable to the Philippine climatic conditions.
A study shown that the amount of rainfall in the Philippines for every five years since 1965 to 1990 is 466.7 millimeters. The heaviest rainfall is for the months of June to August representing over the covered thirty year period (1965-1990) at 42.6 percent of the annual rainfall. During these months, children are subjected to the irregularity of school days due to rains and floods, unbearable difficulties of commuting or going to and from school, danger to life from open drains and street excavation and to respiratory and other diseases caused by lower resistance and aggravated by intermittent cough, colds and chills. Also, when the rainy season comes many of the classrooms are out of shape for appropriate classroom and conducting classes outside of the school itself will unable to do so.
Thus, the children and youth can avoid being caught in the heaviest rainfall and worst typhoons which are seasonal and periodic during the months of June to August by starting the school calendar in September.
The nation can no longer ignore the reality that our school children and student
youth suffer needlessly from having to go to school during the monsoon and
typhoon/cyclone months of June to August.
For the benefit of more or less 16.94 million of elementary, secondary and tertiary level, approval of this measure is urgent, reasonable and necessary for the protection of Filipino children and youth.
KRISTINE TYROL Z. ROSALES
Representative
Occidental Mindoro
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
YOUTH CONGRESS
Baguio City
Introduced by Kristine Tyrol Z. Rosales
EXPLANATORY NOTE
AN ACT REVISING THE SCHOOL CALENDAR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the “School Calendar Act of 2007”
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy – It is hereby declared the policy of the state to provide a suitable school calendar that protect the health, safety and welfare of school children and student youth through the revision of the school calendar and therefore promoting a more quality of education and avoid the risks of climatic repercussions.
SECTION 3. School Calendar- The annual school calendar for pre-elementary
, elementary, secondary, post secondary and tertiary levels shall comprise two semesters for every calendar year. There shall be two hundred twenty (220) school days for every calendar year or one hundred ten (110) school days per semester. The first semester shall start the first week of September and shall continue until the second week of January and the second semester shall start the third week of January and continue until the last week of June.
Subject to the provision of this Act, the school calendar for the pre-elementary,
Elementary and secondary levels shall be determined by the Department of Education, taking into consideration days require for enrolment. When necessary to complete the required number of school days and to make up for days lost due to unexpected cases defined by the Department of Education, the Department may include Saturdays in the school calendar.
Subject to the provisions of this Act, the actual school calendar and required hours for study according to credits for courses for every semester of the post -secondary and tertiary level shall be determined by the Commission on Higher Education, taking into consideration the enrolment period, official holidays, and between semester days off from school for the well-being of school youth. The Commission may require school days on Saturdays to complete required hours for courses or to make up or days lost due to unexpected situation defined by the Commission.
The revised school calendar pursuant to this Act shall be implemented starting school year 2008-2009.
SECTION 4. Rules and Regulations - The Rules and Regulation for the implementation of this Act shall be promulgated by the Department of Education, for the public and private pre-elementary, elementary and secondary levels and by the Commission on Higher Education and the public and private post-secondary and tertiary level of education.
SECTION 5. Resources. - Resources required for the appropriate implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual general appropriations of this Act of the Department of Education, for the pre-elementary, elementary and secondary levels and of the Commission on Higher Education for the post-secondary and tertiary level. Funds required for the initial year of implementation of the school calendar from the present system to that proposed under this Act shall be derived from any savings or unused funds of the Department of Education for the pre-elementary, elementary and secondary levels and from the resources under the Act creating the Commission on Higher Education for the post- secondary and tertiary level.
SECTION 6. Effectivity Clause.- This act shall take effect upon its publication in at least two (2) newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,Labels: education
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