With classes suspended due to extreme heat, teachers' groups are urging authorities to take urgent action as high temperatures pose serious risks to students' health and disrupt learning in schools.
Based on the existing guidelines of DepEd, school heads are given the authority and discretion to suspend the conduct of in-person classes and shift to alternative delivery modes (ADM) in cases of extreme heat and other calamities that may compromise the health and safety of learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel.
Teachers’ groups call for action as extreme heat puts students’ health, education at risk
Mar 4, 2025 02:07 AM
At a glance
With classes suspended due to high temperatures, teachers' groups are calling on authorities to take urgent action as extreme heat poses serious risks to students' health and disrupts learning in schools.
Citing reports of heat-related illnesses and learning difficulties, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines and the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) urged the government to implement protective measures—including a unified class suspension scheme, adjusted school hours, and improved classroom ventilation, among others.
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Not just about comfort
In a statement issued on March 3, ACT stressed that extreme heat exposes the dire state of public school infrastructure, which endangers students' health and education.
"This is not just about comfort—this is about our children's fundamental right to learn in safe, healthy environments,” ACT Philippines Chairperson Vladimer Quetua said, adding that the Marcos administration “must act now before this crisis claims lives.”
ACT urged the government to address the dangerous conditions in public schools amid extreme heat, as face-to-face classes in several Metro Manila areas have been suspended this week due to temperatures reaching the “danger” range of 42 to 51 degrees Celsius.
“The suspension of classes is necessary but merely a band-aid solution to a systemic problem,” Quetua said. “Our students and teachers suffer not just from extreme weather but from the government's chronic neglect of our education infrastructure,” he added.
Quetua emphasized that extreme heat is “made worse by the deplorable conditions in many public schools,” citing recent assessments by ACT.
Beyond the heat, ACT pointed out that the poor condition of school facilities exacerbates the problem. Quetua added that in many public schools, students are cramped due to a lack of classrooms, and most schools do not have a clinic, medicine, or a nurse.
“The situation has become so desperate that students are being asked to forego their uniforms, bring personal fans, and crowd into clinics or canteens just to get drinking water,” Quetua said. “This is unacceptable in a country that claims to prioritize education,” he added.
Unified class suspension scheme
Meanwhile, the TDC-National Capital Region Teachers Union (TDC-NCRTU) has called for a unified, automatic suspension of classes across Metro Manila based on the high heat index reported by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
In a statement issued on March 3, TDC-NCRTU pointed out that on the first school day of March, only six out of 17 local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila suspended classes—including Valenzuela City, Caloocan City, Las Piñas City, Malabon City, Parañaque City, and Manila—with some announcing suspensions only for afternoon sessions.
This “fragmented approach” prompted TDC-NCRTU to push for a “region-wide suspension scheme to protect learners and teachers from potential health risks.”
TDC-NCRTU Vice President and Spokesperson Jim Lester Beleno noted that Metro Manila is a “small and compact” geographic unit, making the implementation of a region-wide class suspension less complex than in larger provinces governed by a single governor.
Citing Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 22, s. 2024, issued in December 2024, TDC-NCRTU highlighted that the revised guidelines for class suspensions during disasters and emergencies include extreme heat conditions.
The group explained that while the order allows class suspensions when the heat index reaches a critical level, it “leaves the decision” to individual LGUs. TDC-NCRTU argued that relying solely on LGU decisions in a highly urbanized and interconnected area like Metro Manila could lead to “inconsistencies.”
“We appreciate the intention behind DepEd Order No. 22, but its effectiveness depends on consistent application,” Beleno said.
“We urge the DepEd to take the lead in coordinating with local governments to formulate a scheme that ensures the safety of all students and school personnel across Metro Manila, not just in selected areas,” he added.
Beleno also noted the challenges of the current piecemeal suspension, citing the interconnectedness of Metro Manila's cities.
“For example, you cannot travel from South Caloocan to North Caloocan without passing through Quezon City. This morning, while the Caloocan LGU announced the suspension of face-to-face classes, Quezon City schools continued their classes. This inconsistency only creates confusion and increases risks,” he explained.
Addressing the problem
For its part, ACT called for immediate emergency measures and long-term solutions to address the issue.
The group recommended the immediate release of Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) funds to schools for emergency cooling measures and the fast-tracking of the promised construction of 15,000 climate-resilient classrooms.
ACT also pushed for a significant increase in the 2026 budget for school infrastructure to address the 250,000-classroom shortage, the establishment of properly equipped clinics with nurses in every school, and the implementation of heat emergency protocols in all educational institutions.
“We cannot allow another generation of Filipino children to study in overcrowded, overheated classrooms that endanger their health and compromise their education,” Quetua said.
ACT also called for the immediate passage of House Bill 6398, or the Safe and Healthy Facilities for Educational Institutions Act, authored by ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro.
“Hindi na dapat ipagpaliban pa ang paglalaan ng sapat na pondo para sa dekalidad na imprastraktura (There should be no further delay in allocating sufficient funds for quality infrastructure),” he added.
With summer temperatures expected to rise further in the coming weeks, TDC also advocated for proactive measures that prioritize health and safety in schools.
The group, along with its mother organization, the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC), maintained its earlier stance that extreme weather conditions, such as high heat index levels, should trigger “automatic region-wide suspensions.”
“A blanket suspension based on a unified regional scheme would eliminate disparities in implementation and ensure a uniform response that prioritizes everyone's safety,” Beleno said.
What DepEd says
Based on the existing guidelines of DepEd, school heads are given the authority and discretion to suspend the conduct of in-person classes and shift to alternative delivery modes (ADM) in cases of extreme heat and other calamities that may compromise the health and safety of learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel.
READ:
Given that DepEd supervises more than 47,000 schools nationwide, the agency noted that it is in the “best interest of the learning community to have localized assessments for timely response and interventions to ensure the welfare of learners and personnel.
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