Senate hearing on extreme heat set today

MANILA, Philippines — With 4,000 face-to-face classes suspended, a Senate panel will conduct a hearing today to discuss the effects of extreme heat on learners and the shift to alternative delivery modes.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri is also asking the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education to revert to the pre-pandemic calendar this coming school year instead of a gradual return in SY 2025-2026.

“The almost unbearable rise in temperature for the summer and the recurring cancellation of face-to-face classes are both compelling reasons to fast-track the return to a June-March academic calendar and spare students, as well as teachers, from the ill effects of the extreme heat,” Zubiri said.

“Aside from exposing our students and teachers to the dangers of extreme heat, I honestly believe that the prevailing weather conditions during summer are not conducive to learning,” he added.

Zubiri said he has withdrawn Senate Bill No. 788 filed at the start of the 19th Congress, which synchronizes the school year to start in August.

“In an ideal world, we do want to be in sync with international school calendars to give our students a better chance at getting into programs abroad,” he said.

“But the reality is that the August calendar has proven to be disruptive to our education system and even dangerous to the health of our children and school staff,” he noted.

When class suspensions due to extreme heat started on April 4, 4,000 schools suspended face-to-face classes and switched to asynchronous and distance learning modes, he recalled.

A week later on April 12, 7,000 schools suspended classes, in both cases affecting more than a million students, he added.

The Senate committee on basic education will conduct a hearing today.

Panel chair Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said that while schools have the option to implement remote learning, the shift to alternative delivery modes also poses challenges.

He cited the lack of internet access in some households and the difficulties hounding parents in supporting their children in a remote learning setup.

“There are parents who do not agree with online or blended learning because their child is not learning and it is the parents themselves who answer their textbooks or workbooks. It turns out that many parents still prefer face-to-face classes,” Gatchalian said.

Although DepEd already started the transition to bring back the school opening to June, Gatchalian urged the agency anew to study the possibility of having a shorter transition period.

DepEd earlier said that in cases of emergencies or calamities, including extreme heat, school principals may suspend in-person classes and implement blended learning.

Under DepEd Order No. 037 s.2022, modular distance learning, performance tasks, projects or make-up classes shall be implemented when classes are canceled or suspended.

Sen. Francis Escudero said the government must take proactive measures in anticipation of La Niña as the state weather bureau noted an “increasing probability” of La Niña developing later this year.

The impending shift to La Niña, characterized by cooler sea surface temperatures and above-normal rainfall, demands comprehensive programs and early interventions to protect vulnerable sectors and ensure climate resilience, he said over the weekend.

To date, the state weather bureau said La Niña has a 55 percent chance of developing in the next six months.

The last La Niña in the country lasted for three straight years, from September 2020 until early 2023, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

Meanwhile, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition reiterated its call on DepEd to immediately shift to the old June-March school calendar.

“Our suggested timeline involves ending the school year on April 11, 2025, earlier than DepEd’s planned date of May 16, 2025. This arrangement would use only two weeks of April for classes and spare the entire month of May. By our calculations, this approach would cover approximately 174 days, not far from the 179 days of the current academic year,” the group said. — Neil Jayson Servallos