They have a point—but not everyone may agree with them. Just think about the parents who drop off their kids at school on their way to work.
“The Federation of Association of Private Schools and Administrators (FAPSA) has urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to shift the start of classes after 8am to help improve attendance and academic performance of students,” reports Ina Hernando Malipot in Manila Bulletin.
The report noted: “FAPSA cited the recent findings of a study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which showed that ‘insufficient sleep’ in adolescents affects their ‘health and safety,’ as well as their ‘academic success.'”
FAPSA President Elezardo Kasilag was quoted as saying, “We believe that the directive has to be applied because according to the AAP, attendance is improved, tardiness is decreased and academic performance on core subjects such as English, Math, Science, and Filipino is enhanced. And they have evidence that they also fare well on national standardized tests.”
Kasilag added that “students who report to school at 6am or even 7am, especially those in secondary level, cannot concentrate well during the first few hours of classes.”
“They need to be shaken up or have to be told of funny anecdotes by teachers to listen to the major subjects such as English, Math, Science, Filipino, and History which are usually taught in the first hours of classes,” Kasilag observed.
Photo from MorgueFile
