Jeany Rose Hayahay, a Lumad volunteer teacher, stressed the need for a thorough and meaningful dialogue between the Department of Education (DepEd) and teachers regarding the proposed shift to a three-term school calendar.
According to Hayahay, educators in the country are already carrying heavy workloads, especially with constant adjustments to lesson plans and other tasks that come with every change in the education system.
She recalled that even during the implementation of the K to 12 program, many teachers voiced concerns, but their perspectives were not fully heard despite being directly affected by the policy.
Hayahay explained that teachers are not only responsible for classroom instruction but also for activities such as Brigada Eskwela, painting, and other preparations at the start of every school year.
Because of this, she called on DepEd to carefully consider the real conditions of teachers to avoid adding further burdens under the new school calendar setup.
