MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to submit a proposed Executive Order (EO) seeking to modernize the suspension and resumption of classes in basic education amid recurring weather disturbances and other hazards.
The proposal follows its approval by the Social Development Committee (SDC) Cabinet Cluster after DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara presented the revised measure updating Executive Order 66, series of 2012.
Angara said the proposed policy aims to protect learners while ensuring learning continuity through a more granular and responsive approach to suspending and resuming in-person classes.
“Under President (Ferdinand R.) Marcos’ (Jr.) leadership, we are reframing our approach: we are not merely suspending classes; we are safeguarding learning continuity,” Angara said.
DepEd records instructional losses
DepEd recorded around 20 to 40 days of instructional loss from June 8 to Aug. 31 due to weather disturbances and disasters, approaching the 53 days lost out of 180 school days during School Year 2023-2024.
Angara said the proposed changes are intended to address the recurring disruption of in-person classes while ensuring that decisions are based on actual conditions in affected areas.
Three mechanisms for class suspensions
Under the proposed EO, three decision-making mechanisms will guide class suspensions and resumptions, subject to coordination with local government units.
- Automatic suspensions based on national technical thresholds;
- Localized suspensions determined by local chief executives; and
- Granular suspensions and resumptions based on site-specific, real-time conditions.
Angara said the framework would give local executives and school heads greater legal backing and flexibility to make science-based decisions based on conditions on the ground.
Hazard coverage to be expanded
The proposed framework would also expand hazard coverage beyond typhoons to include heavy rainfall, flooding, earthquakes, storm surges, poor air quality, volcanic smog, volcanic hazards, and extreme heat reaching 40 degrees Celsius or a higher heat index.
The policy seeks to establish a more comprehensive, hazard-inclusive, and decentralized framework for the suspension and resumption of in-person classes and onsite work.
“When a hazard strikes, the safety of our students, teachers, and school personnel is non-negotiable,” Angara said.
He added that unnecessary classroom closures can also carry a cost, as every additional day without regular classroom instruction can contribute to learning loss and affect long-term economic productivity.
School-level authority retained
The proposed policy will retain the authority of schools to suspend in-person classes based on documented site-specific assessments and with the concurrence of their Schools Division Superintendent.
Through the proposed changes, DepEd seeks to strike a balance between protecting learners and school personnel from hazards and keeping students in classrooms whenever conditions remain safe.
DepEd class suspension updates
The proposed Executive Order seeks to amend and modernize the framework under Executive Order No. 66, series of 2012, which currently governs class suspensions during typhoons, floods, other weather disturbances, and calamities.
— The Summit Express
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