MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. wants the return of the old school calendar as early as next school year to avoid cancellation of classes due to the extreme heat brought about by the El Niño phenomenon.

In an interview on the sidelines of the Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) Day in Pasay City on Monday, President Marcos said he has already asked Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte to provide a concrete plan on the shift to old school calendar.

“Well, of course, hiningi ko ‘yan sa DepEd and asked Inday Sara to give me already a concrete plan because mukha naman hindi na tayo kailangan maghintay pa. At mukha naman kailangan na at I don’t see any objections really from anyone,” President Marcos said.

“Especially, with the El Niño being what it is. Every day you turn on the news, F2F classes are cancelled, F2F classes have been postponed, etcetera. So, talagang kailangan na kailangan na. So, yes. That’s part of the plan that we are trying to do to bring back already the old schedule,” he added.

Some schools in most parts of the country have resorted into online classes to protect the children from the extreme heat.

President Marcos said resorting back to the old calendar days “will be better for the kids.” (PND)