Manila: The Department of Education (DepEd) announced plans to implement a granular, school-level resumption of classes aimed at preventing learning loss, as heavy monsoon rains and flooding have caused 607 schools nationwide to suspend face-to-face classes as of Tuesday. This approach aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directives to ensure the safety of learners while maintaining quality education.
According to Philippines News Agency, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized the need for a more localized approach, as blanket class suspensions result in significant disruptions to basic education. Angara stated, "While safety will always remain our non-negotiable priority, we can no longer rely on broad, blanket suspensions where an entire city shuts down even when individual campuses are dry, safe, and ready to teach."
The department aims to update Executive Order (EO) 66, series of 2012, which currently governs the automatic and localized suspension of classes and work in government offices during weather disturbances and calamities. The proposed revisions would allow individual schools that are deemed safe or have quickly recovered from emergencies to resume in-person classes, even amidst broader localized suspensions. This would require concurrence from local government units (LGUs) and documented safety assessments.
"If a school is clear, accessible, and certified safe, our learners should be back in the classroom without delay," Angara added. This proposal would empower public school heads to initiate class resumption based on documented site-specific assessments, with approval from the local chief executive (LCE). Private schools would also be able to declare class resumption amid city- or municipal-wide suspensions, in close coordination with the LCE.
The draft proposal includes standardized rules for class suspensions and resumptions, accounting for natural and human-induced hazards such as extreme heat, earthquakes, power outages, and poor air quality. For isolated campus-level hazards, school heads may still impose the original suspension of face-to-face classes, with the concurrence of their Schools Division Superintendent, in adherence to DepEd Order 22, s. 2024.
The DepEd expressed optimism that the President will approve the proposed measure before the end of the year.
