Education Minister Alejandrina German has expressed her concern given the scant hours of instruction public school children are receiving. She said that a Gallup poll has been contracted, sponsored by the ministry, APEC and the Association of Public School Teachers, to determine the reasons for the short school days and help resolve the situation. She mentioned public school instruction is usually from 9:15 am to 11:30 am, while private schools offer instruction from 8 am to 2 pm. German commented that little is resolved by modernizing public schools if ways are not found to increase the actual hours of instruction public school children are receiving.