The Department of Education (DepEd) reiterated on Thursday, April 4, the existing guidelines concerning the cancellation or suspension of classes and work in schools during natural disasters, power outages, or other calamities, particularly amidst the high heat index experienced across different parts of the country.
In a statement, DepEd emphasized that these provisions are outlined in Department Order 037 issued in 2022.
Specifically, DepEd has granted school heads the authority and discretion to suspend in-person classes and transition to alternative delivery modes (ADM) in cases of extreme heat and other calamities that may endanger the health and safety of learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel.
This measure, DepEd stated, was the subject of OASOPS No. 2023-077 on April 20, 2023, and OUCT and OUOPS Memorandum dated Feb. 28, 2023 (Implementation of Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) in All Public Elementary and Secondary Schools).
As of Thursday, DepEd reported that 4,769 schools nationwide are implementing ADM. The suspension of in-person classes due to hot weather, DepEd noted, is affecting 2,482,507 students.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2024/4/4/extreme-heat-affects-2-4-million-students-nationwide-says-dep-ed
"Given that DepEd supervises more than 47,000 schools nationwide, it is in the best interest of the learning community to conduct localized assessments for timely response and interventions to ensure the welfare of learners and personnel," DepEd said.
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