THE resumption of classes after the Christmas break has sparked concerns among teachers, with many classrooms expected to remain nearly empty until Friday, January 3, due to low student attendance.
Public schools officially reopened on January 2 after the nearly two-week Christmas break, but according to the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC), many students were absent nationwide.
TDC remarked, “There is a class, but almost no one to teach”, highlighting the challenges teachers faced in delivering lessons due to the low turnout.
Reports indicated that student attendance was extremely low on the first day, with many classes seeing less than 50 percent of students present.
“Some reports even indicated that only one, two, or three students attended, and some classes had no students at all,” TDC added.
While the Department of Education (DepEd) cited that this school year (SY 2024-2025) is a transition year back to the traditional school calendar, TDC called for better planning, as students and parents tend to prefer not returning to school right after the New Year holiday, especially when the school days are too close to the celebrations.
TDC emphasized that classes held on January 2 and 3 were nearly ineffective and urged DepEd to reconsider the school calendar for future years.
The group suggested reintroducing buffer days and incorporating academic health breaks for both students and teachers to avoid similar situations.