This document discusses a proposed law that would lengthen the Philippine school calendar from 200 days to no more than 220 class days beginning in the 1995-1996 school year. It specifies that the total number of class hours per day would not be reduced. It also indicates that the school year would start on the first Monday of June but no later than the last day of August. The Secretary of Education would determine the end of the regular school year based on holidays and regional circumstances.

1. An Act to Lengthen the School Calendar fromTwo Hundred
(200) Days to not More than Two Hundred
Twenty (220) Class Days
or R.A. 7797
by
Maritess Delfin-Villanueva

2. SECTION 1.
Lengthening of School Calendar
Any provision of law to the contrary not
withstanding, the school calendar for each
year beginning school year 1995-1996, shall be
lengthened to not more than two hundred
twenty (220) class days, inclusive of class days
which may be subsequently suspended due to
natural or manmade calamities.

3. Month
# of
weekdays
# of holidays fall
on weekdays
#of school days
June 21 1 20
July 23 0 23
August 21 3 18
September 22 0 22
October 23 0 23
November 20 0 20
December 23 8 15
January 22 2 20
February 20 1 19
March 22 0 22
April 22 1 21
Total 223

4. If classes will begin

5. up to not later than April 27
Classes can end starting
March 30, 2015

6. Month
# of
weekdays
# of holidays fall
on weekdays
#of school days
June 21 1 20
July 23 0 23
August 21 3 18
September 22 0 22
October 23 0 23
November 20 0 20
December 23 8 15
January 22 2 20
February 20 1 19
March 22 0 22
April 22 1 21
Total 223
Classes Begin: June 2, 2014
Classes End: from March 30, 2015 to not later than April 27, 2015

7. SECTION 2.
Non-reduction of Class Hours
The total number of class hours per day
provided under the present system shall not be
reduced to compensate for the increase in
class days.

8. SECTION 3.
Start of the School Year
The school year shall start on the first Monday
of June but not later than the last day of
August. In the implementation of this Act, the
Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports
shall determine the end of the regular school
year, taking into consideration the Christmas
and summer vacations, and the peculiar
circumstances of each region.

9. First Monday of June

10. Not later than the last day of August

11. SECTION 4.
Issuance of Rules and Regulations
The Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports shall
issue, within ninety (90) days after the approval of
this Act, the necessary rules and regulations to
implement this Act and ensure that the total class
days prescribed in this Act shall be devoted to the
attainment of learning objectives. The DECS shall
submit to the Committees on Education, Arts and
Culture of both Houses of Congress copies of the
implementing rules and guidelines within thirty (30)
days after its promulgation.

12. SECTION 5.
Repealing Clause
All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders,
rules and regulations or parts there of
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed
or modified accordingly.

13. SECTION 6.
Effectivity Clause
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

14. Approved: 25 August, 1994.

15. Related Issues

16. Related Issues

17. Related Issues

18. CHED vs DepEd
HB 695
March 12, 2014
Main thrust:
To reiterate that the plan of several autonomous and
deregulated HEIs to shift to an academic calendar
that opens in September or any month beyond
August is within the purview of the relevant
provisions of the MORPHEI and does not violate RA
7797.

19. HB 695
“ RA 7797 only applies to basic education to the
exclusion of public and private HEIs which are under
the jurisdiction of CHED.”
 Section 4 of RA 7797 clearly provides that the
Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports is
empowered to issue rules and regulations to
implement the said law.
 Notably, CHED was established on May 18, 1994
through RA 7722. With this, it is the clear intention of
the legislature to place HEIs under the exclusive
administration and supervision of CHED as the
governing body for tertiary and graduate education.

20. SECTION 4.
Issuance of Rules and Regulations
The Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports shall
issue, within ninety (90) days after the approval of
this Act, the necessary rules and regulations to
implement this Act and ensure that the total class
days prescribed in this Act shall be devoted to the
attainment of learning objectives. The DECS shall
submit to the Committees on Education, Arts and
Culture of both Houses of Congress copies of the
implementing rules and guidelines within thirty (30)
days after its promulgation.

21. HB 695
 In fact, Section 3 of the RA 7792 provides that CHED
is independent and separate from DECS (now
DepEd).
 Evidently, RA 7797 and RA 7722 were deliberated
and passed on the same Congress in 1994. If the
legislators clearly intended for the HEIs to be under
the coverage of RA 7797, or that RA 7797 will be part
and parcel of RA 7722, they could have been
considered in the two bills that became laws.
However, the case is otherwise which shows the
clear intention to exclude HEIs within the ambit of RA
7797.

22. HB 695
 Section 8n of RA 7722 authorizes CHED to issue
rules and regulations to carry out its objectives and
purposes.
 Pursuant to its rule-making power, CHED issued the
MORPHEI which provides the policy on School
Calendar (Section 78 stating that all HEIs shall begin
classes in June).
 The HEIs may, however, apply for change in school
calendar (provided in Section 79 of MORPHEI).
 CHED subsequently issued CMO No. 1, s. 2011), or
the Guidelines on Adoption of School Calendar, “in
order to encourage innovation and exercise of
academic freedom among institutions of HEIs”

23. HB 695
 Notably, CHED cognizant of academic freedom of
HEIs, there was never any mention in CMO No.1, s.
2011, on the restriction of adopting a school opening
not earlier that June or beyond August.
 Autonomous and derregulated HEIs are given more
leeway in changing their academic calendar pursuant
to their benefits (as stated in Section 49 of
MORPHEI) and there was no such limitation on the
opening of classes not beyond August and opening
earlier than June if so allowed by CHED as a matter
of exception/priviliege for autonomous HEIs.
 CHED allows changing of opening of classes subject
to the guidelines set in the MORPHEI and CMO 1, s.
2011, and not RA 7797.

24. HB 695
 CEAP’s position that RA 7797 does not apply to
HEIs because there is no limitation provided under
MORPHEI. Consequently, the opening of classes in
September for several autonomous HEIs, will not
result to a violation of RA 7797.
 HEIs and basic education institutions do not stand on
equal footing in so far as State regulation or control.
 CHED recognizes the changing of academic
calendar and school opening as valid exercise of
academic freedom and in fact prescribed guidelines
in its exercise. It is now ineludible that RA 7797
applies only to basic education.

25. Related Issues
Academic Calendar and Philippine Higher Education
by CHED (March 26, 2014)
 The move by some HEIs to change the academic
calendar year from June to August is consistent with
RA 7797, section 3. It is also in consonance with RA
7722.
 For autonomous HEIs, shifting to an August start is
really their prerogative. For other HEIs, CHED
generally prescribes a June start but they can adopt
a different start as long as they inform CHED in
writing not later than 15 days before the prescribed
June start and get the Commission’s approval.

26. Academic Calendar and Philippine Higher Education
by CHED (March 26, 2014)
 In the discourse about the academic calendar, other
issues have been raised such as:
Internationalization
ASEAN integration
Climatic factors
Socio-economic and cultural considerations
Synchronization with DepEd’s calendar

27. Academic Calendar and Philippine Higher Education
by CHED (March 26, 2014)
On Internationalization
CHED stands firm on its belief that the best way to
internationalize/engage with the global academic
community is for HEIs to intensify their quality
assurance, capacity-building, and institutional
development programs.
Philippine HEIs that are prepared to engage with the
international academic community, and synchronizing
their academic calendars with their international
university partners may provide the right signal for
collaboration

28. Academic Calendar and Philippine Higher Education
by CHED (March 26, 2014)
On ASEAN integration
CHED believes that it is important to think about how
Philippine higher education can best respond to
ASEAN Integration in 2015.
Two basic concerns for HEIs:
1. Issue of quality of our college/university students
2. Issue of how well we have prepared our
college/universit graduates for the world of work
These concerns, which we all need to work on
together as a nation, are much more fundamental
than the issue of calendars.

29. Academic Calendar and Philippine Higher Education
by CHED (March 26, 2014)
On climatic factors
A CHED-TWG that looked into adapting higher
education learning systems to mitigate the impact of
climate change has noted that tropical cyclones, in
the last ten years, tend to hit between July and
September. Indeed class suspensions due to heavy
rains and typhoons tend to spike as well from July
through October. Thus, shifting the start of the
academic calendar from June to August would not
make much of a difference.

30. Academic Calendar and Philippine Higher Education
by CHED (March 26, 2014)
On socio-economic and cultural considerations
There is concern for families, particularly those from
farming and fishing communities who would have
difficulty with an August school opening because
agricultural cycles cause them to run out of financial
resources in August, hence a June start is most
feasible.

31. Academic Calendar and Philippine Higher Education
by CHED (March 26, 2014)
On synchronizing with DepEd’s calendar
The June start of most HEI academic calendars is
better harmonized with the schedule of classes of
basic education. The DepEd has done an extensive
study on this matter and has advised against an
August start and an end in the late summer months.
The DepEd study noted that summer months in
recent years have had temperatures up to 400C
making learning most difficult. In addition, there are
several long holidays during summer months. A
DepEd commissioned survey also showed a 95%
support for a June to March calendar year.

32. Academic Calendar and Philippine Higher Education
by CHED (March 26, 2014)
Conclusion
CHED does not advise a change in the academic
calendar.
CHED believes that variation among HEIs in the
start of the academic calendar, within the
boundaries specified by law, is acceptable and
actually already exists. HEI can start their academic
years at different times.

33. Related Issues
Schools file for August opening
by Sun Star (March 27, 2014)
 Universities known applied for academic shift by
opening classes in August
1. University of the Philippines (Diliman, Los Banos,
Baguio)
2. University of Sto Tomas (UST)
3. University of Baguio (UB)
4. Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU)
5. St. Louis University (SLU)