Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Monday said that the school opening for this coming school year (SY) 2018-2019 will remain in June amid proposals to move the academic calendar of basic education to later months.

“We don’t have plans to move the calendar as of this time,” said Briones in a phone interview with the Manila Bulletin. She noted that there will be no changes in the academic calendar for basic education this coming school year citing that the month of June remains the ideal time to open classes – particularly in public schools. Private schools have until August 4, 2018 to open their classes.

DOWNLOAD: SCHOOL CALENDAR 2018-2019

“You have to bear in mind that if we open in August, that means we will be open up until the summer months,” Briones said. Classrooms in public schools, she said, are not suitable for the hot dry season – which is also commonly referred to as “summer” in the Philippines.

Briones noted that the physical construction of school buildings and classrooms in public schools are not designed to hold classes in “summer.” Thus, DepEd cannot move the school calendar to later months since “our facilities are not favorable to classes until May which is the height of summer heat.”