The Department of Education (DepEd) has unveiled new learning guidelines on how schools across the country are expected to respond to disasters and crises.

Under Department Order 14, s. 2026, schools are now guided by a four-level Learning Continuity Framework designed to match instructional responses with the severity of disruption caused by typhoons, floods, earthquakes, extreme heat, public health emergencies, armed conflict and other crises.

“When a disaster or crisis occurs, the first question we should ask is, Are the children and teachers safe, and are they already able to learn and teach again?” Angara said. 

“We cannot expect the same things from them during normal circumstances as we do when they are facing danger, fear, or loss,” he added.

The framework outlines four response levels: Hayo (Continue), where regular classes proceed under safe conditions; Hinay (Slow down), where instruction is slowed and made flexible amid mild disruptions; Hinga (Breath), where academic demands are reduced and emphasis is placed on monitoring the mental and physical well-being of learners and staff; and Hinto (Stop), where learning activities are suspended entirely when conditions pose serious risks to safety and basic needs.

DepEd said the system gives school heads, in coordination with division superintendents and local government units, wider authority to make localized decisions, allowing suspensions or adjustments to be applied at the school or even grade level, rather than across entire divisions.

Heading off disruptions

The agency said this is intended to prevent unnecessary learning disruption in areas that remain safe while responding more precisely to communities directly affected by emergencies.

To support continuity when formal instruction is disrupted, the guidelines standardize the use of emergency learning tools, including printed and digital modules, learning packets, broadcast-based lessons, home learning kits, and other materials designed to keep education going without overwhelming learners and teachers already dealing with crisis conditions.

The policy also strengthens the use of “EduKahon,” DepEd’s school recovery kit initiative, which prepositioned essential learning materials for rapid deployment when classrooms are damaged or rendered unusable by disasters.

Schools are likewise required to update continuity plans regularly, map the capacities and needs of learners and personnel, establish emergency communication systems, and conduct orientations for parents and guardians on emergency learning protocols at the start of each school year.