Lawmakers on Sunday renewed their call for the government to change the school days or adopt more distance learning methods to keep school-age children from being exposed to heat stress, especially with the looming dry El Nino weather phenomenon.
For the safety of students, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go said he supports the idea of adopting modular learning if necessary, amid extremely hot weather and power outages in some parts of the country.
The government must also move quickly in reverting to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic school calendar to safeguard both children and teachers against potential heat stress during the summer months, 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan said.
“We are all for the immediate return to the old school calendar with the least possible disruption to classes,” he said. “Many children from poor households, including 4Ps beneficiaries in the provinces, tend to walk long distances to or from school.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said the government was studying the return to the pre-pandemic school calendar when vacation time starts from March to April and classes resume in June, due to the “unbearable” summer heat, making learning difficult.
As temperatures rise and power outages become a recurring issue in some parts of the country, Go believes modular learning is a way to keep students safe.
The senator stressed the importance of prioritizing the safety and health of students, especially during extreme weather conditions.
“What is important, is that the studies of students will continue, and the school year will not be delayed. That should be our priority, the health and safety of our students,” he said.
Go said that in extreme heat conditions, “face-to-face learning can be stopped, and we can shift back to online or modular learning.”
With temperatures soaring, there are growing concerns about the safety of students who may be forced to attend face-to-face classes in extreme heat or during power outages.
The Department of Education has reminded school heads that they have the authority to suspend face-to-face classes and shift to alternativedelivery modes such as modular distance learning due to these concerns.
On April 20, the DepEd issued a memorandum stating that schools can utilize modular distance learning, as outlined in DepEd Order No. 37, released in 2022.
The order empowers school heads to assess if unfavorable circumstances, such as extreme heat or power outages, maysignificantly impact in-person classroom learning and jeopardize the health and safety of students.
Go said he understands these concerns and believes that modularlearning is a viable solution to ensure that students can continue to learn without risking their health and safety.
An advocate for the well-being of students, the senator emphasized the importance of mental health in addressing mental health disorders, which are often overlooked and undetected.
Go has also been pushing for the passage of his proposed Senate Bill No. 1786, which seeks to mandate public higher education institutions to establish Mental Health Offices on their respective campuses.
The senator also serves as co-author of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian’s SBN 379, otherwise known as the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, which aims to provide mental health services, emotional, developmental, and preventive programs, and other support services in the basic education level.
“The prolonged physical exertion, combined with the agonizing heat, puts them at risk of heat exhaustion,” Libanan said.
Under the current school year, 203 days of classes started on Aug. 22, 2022 and will end on July 7 this year, thus putting children in school during the hottest summer months of April and May.
In the school year prior to the pandemic, classes began on June 3, 2019 and ended on April 3, 2020.
According to Libanan, the Department of Health reported several cases of heat-related illness affecting students since March.
PAGASA warned the heat index around the country has reached “dangerous levels” ranging from 42 to 51 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, per the five-day forecast provided by the weather bureau for April 25 to 29, the city of Iloilo is anticipated to experience a maximum heat index of 37°C.
Other key cities including Butuan City, Cabanatuan City, Cotabato City, Dagupan City, Davao City, General Santos City, among others, are expected to experience a heat index of 36°C.