Cartoon by: Jowena Decena
Published by: Kassandra Aman
Date Published: April 8, 2024
Time Published: 8:00 AM
Everytime that summer approaches the Philippines, every Filipino citizen is already expecting the intense heat that is brought by the El Niรฑo inside the country. Due to the extreme heat faced by residents from various regions of the Philippines this summer, the Department of Education (DepEd) informed regional directors and superintendents that they had the ability to alter class schedules to early morning or late afternoon. This is to shield children and teachers from the intense heat we experienced throughout the middle of the day [1].
This is the kind of certainty that some Filipino citizens have been hoping to hear because they are afraid of being affected by the extreme heat themselves, but some are still wondering why the DepEd only advised to move the classes a little earlier than usual rather than completely converting them to online classes.
Thousands of schools in the Philippines canceled classes held in person due to the intense heat, which had already reached a dangerous level [2]. This was a relief for both students and educators, but instead of just relocating the classes online, they decided to suspend them throughout the day. Aren’t we losing time due to these class suspensions?
The severe heat can still be felt in the morning. That is why the Department of Education's (DepEd) advice to simply relocate classes earlier than normal schedule is still a risk to the learners’ and teachers' health.
Class suspension, on the other hand, is a loss of time because our school calendar has been reduced from its original length because DepEd intends to progressively bring back the usual classes starting date this upcoming school year (2024-2025) [3]. Students' graduations are coming, and we should not risk delaying them simply because classes have been canceled because of the extreme heat this dry season.
During this time of extreme heat, it is preferable to switch from in-person to online classes. One of the reasons why this should be temporarily enforced is to protect students and educators from the impacts of severe heat while on their way to school. Second is to ensure that students continue to learn their lessons in the comfort of their own homes so that they are ready when their quarterly examinations are scheduled once the in-person classes resume. Third, to prevent delaying the students' graduations because their grades are still incomplete due to class suspensions. Lastly, to reduce the stress of the teachers once it is already time to compute and pass the grades of their students.
A little effort will enable each of us to effectively complete this school year. Online lessons are difficult, but missing out on the opportunity to learn more is even harder.
REFERENCES:
[1] Ombay, G. GMA Integrated News (2024, April 2). “MDepEd: Regional directors may adjust class schedules amid severe heat
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/900333/deped-school-heads-have-authority-to-suspend-classes-due-to-extreme-heat/story/?amp
[2] Elemia, C. (2024, April 2). Extreme heat forces Philippine schools to cancel in-person classes
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/extreme-heat-philippines-schools-cancel-classes-04022024051701.html
[3] Cabato, L. (2024, January 20). DepEd urged: Let SY 2024-2025 return to old school calendar
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1891705/deped-urged-let-sy-2024-2025-return-to-old-school-calendar#ixzz8WIv2WEoy
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