ILOILO City – Over 1,000 schools in Western Visayas shifted to alternative modes of learning when classes were disrupted by heavy rains brought by a low pressure area and an inter-tropical convergence zone last week.
As of May 4, 1,374 schools, or 33.94 percent of the total 4,048 public schools, shifted to distance learning modality.
Here’s the breakdown per schools division office (SDO): Negros Occidental – 266, Cadiz – 69, Capiz – 191, Iloilo City – 66, Iloilo – 485, Silay City – 39, Passi City – 44, Victorias City – 24, Himamaylan City – 54, Antique – 111, and Capiz – 25.
Hernani Escullar Jr., information officer of the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6, said the students’ learning is continuous since schools may opt to adopt an alternative mode of learning.
“Wala kita suspension of classes, [but] shift to alternative learning delivery modes like modular distance learning, automatic na ina based on DepEd Order 37,” Escullar said in an interview with Panay News.
DepEd Order 37, or the “Guidelines on the cancellation or suspension of classes and work in schools in the event of natural disasters, power outages, power interruptions, and other calamities”, was issued on Sept. 1, 2022 by Vice President Sara Duterte, concurrent DepEd secretary.
“This policy promotes the safety and protection of learners and personnel from unnecessary physical dangers that they may be exposed to during natural disasters and calamities. This is to ensure that their constitutional rights to life, health, safety, and property are always protected,” read part of the order.
It added: “To minimize the health and safety risks brought about by disaster and other natural calamities, the Department recognizes that the suspension of classes and work during emergencies remain to be necessary for upholding the physical and mental well-being of learners and school personnel.”
Escullar said schools may opt to make their method or choose modalities of learning to ensure that the child’s studies continue despite not being in school due to calamities.
Here are the guidelines for heavy rainfall:
* In-person, online classes and work from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and Alternative Learning System (ALS) are automatically canceled in schools situated in local government units (LGUs) issued with orange and red rainfall warnings by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
* If the warning is issued at a time when classes have already begun, the school will immediately suspend the classes and work and send everyone home, if it is safe to do so. However, schools are obligated to keep the students and personnel safe in school if traveling has become unsafe.
* Local chief executives will decide on the cancellation or suspension of classes if their LGU is issued a yellow rainfall warning by PAGASA or in cases where there are torrential rains in specific or all areas of the LGU but it is not issued an alert by PAGASA.
Here are the guidelines for flood:
* In-person, online classes and work from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and ALS are automatically canceled in schools in specific areas issued with a flood warning by the PAGASA.
* If the flood warning is issued at a time when classes have already begun, the school will immediately suspend the classes and work and send everyone home, if it is safe to do so. However, schools are obligated to keep the students and personnel safe in school if traveling has become unsafe.
* Local chief executives will decide on the cancellation or suspension of classes in cases where there is flooding in specific or all areas of the LGU but are not issued a flood warning by PAGASA or in cases where there are torrential rains in specific or all areas of the LGU but it is not issued an alert by PAGASA
“In the event of canceled or suspended classes, modular distance learning performance tasks, projects or makeup classes shall be implemented to ensure that learning competencies and objectives are still met,” DepEd order further read.
It added: “In adherence to the provision of DepEd Order No. 14, Series of 2021, learners who miss learning activities due to class suspensions brought about by various disruptions like disasters and/or emergencies due to natural or human-induced hazards shall be accorded due consideration in their attendance and the competition of their learning tasks.”/PN
