29 Abril 2024, Lunes
more birthdays to come JO GOD-SAVES MONTOJO LOPEZ
welcomes Bagong Bayani Monico Lopez Caranay
supports International Autism Day, April 1-8, 2024
supports DENR Earth Day, Every Day campaign
F2F classes suspended due to heat, PUJ strike
By Creselda Canda-Lopez
"In view of latest heat index forecast of Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and announcement of nationwide transport strike, all public schools nationwide shall implement asynchronous classes/distance learning on April 29 and 30, 2024," Department of Education (DepEd).said onsite classes in public schools have been suspended today and tomorrow due to extreme heat forecast nationwide and transport strike.
Public school teachers and personnel are not required to report to schools, DepEd added.
Activities organized by Regional and Schools Division Offices such as athletic meets and other programs could still push through as scheduled "provided measures for safety of all participants have been carefully considered," DepEd noted.
Private schools may implement same measures during same period, DepEd said.
Onsite classes have been suspended for most of April due to intense heat made classroom conditions too harsh for learning.
DepEd has since instructed schools to implement alternative delivery modes should extreme heat render classroom instruction unbearable for students and teachers.
Education sector unions, groups and other stakeholders have been calling on DepEd to abandon its current phased transition toward old school calendar but DepEd remains firm in its decision to slowly revert.
DepEd is currently ironing out details of immediate transition with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as he earlier said his administration is open to immediately reverting to old school calendar to avoid harsh classroom conditions amid extreme heat during summer.
Both Alliance of Concerned Teachers and Teachers' Dignity Coalition have presented proposals to immediately shift to old calendar in coming school year 2024-2025 without affecting school break and school days.
Earlier, various groups called for return to old school calendar, citing heat experienced by students during March and April.
Lawmakers sought to intervene by filing proposals to shift to old calendar, stressing current school calendar from August to June is inappropriate in the country.
DepEd previously issued DepEd Order No. 3, s. 2024 on Feb. 19, adjusting end of current school year to May 31 from June 15. It also set opening and closing dates for SY 2024-2025 on July 29, 2024 and May 16, 2025, respectively.
In Parañaque City, all public schools will shift to online classes today and tomorrow.
"This is due to latest heat index forecast released by Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration as well as transport strike," Mayor Eric Olivarez posted on Facebook.
Learners from District 2 are advised to go to school at 8 in the morning to 12 noon today for distribution of allowances, he noted.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has appealed to Marcos to revert summer school break to April and May.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio should also consider returning to old school calendar, Zubiri said.
"Due to extreme heat this summer these past few days, I'm appealing to the Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, maybe we need to study and bring back April-May break," he said.
There have been many complaints of children experiencing heatstroke, he noted.
"Our kids could come back on June 15 or second week of June…they will no longer experience this kind of heat and hardship when it comes to their studies…maybe only ones that can afford it are private sector classrooms with air conditioning…in our public ones in province, there are no electric fans, nothing," he said.
School calendar was adjusted following COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022.
"They made vacation from June to August so that they could be free from typhoon," he recalled.
"But we see here in summer, week after week, there will be suspension of classes due to extreme heat... so I would suggest we just go back to our summer break of March, April and May...and then let's remove vacation break from June to August because we can see severe torture for our students," he added.
