Localized class suspensions urged amid El Niño threat
EDCOM 2 has called for science-based, localized decisions on class suspensions to protect students from hazardous conditions while minimizing disruptions to learning.
Senate President Win Gatchalian on Sunday pressed the Department of Education (DepEd) to adopt localized class suspensions amid the threat of super El Niño, warning that prolonged disruptions could worsen the country’s learning crisis.
The call comes as DepEd implements Memorandum 64, Series of 2026, which requires the suspension of physical and home-based academic activities when the heat index reaches 42 degrees Celsius or higher.
The policy allows school heads to decide whether to suspend classes or shift to online learning based on heat conditions. Gatchalian said safety measures should not come at the expense of students’ academic progress.
“El Niño threatens not only the safety of students but also their ability to learn. We must ensure that our students’ knowledge does not regress, as this would further exacerbate our education crisis,” he said.
Gatchalian cited a policy note by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), which found that public elementary schools lost an average of 20 teaching days during School Year 2025-2026 because of hazards, including typhoons.
This represents roughly one day for every 10 days in the school calendar.
The study also found that each suspended school day resulted in an estimated 1.4 days of lost reading progress.
The disruption comes amid persistently poor literacy and numeracy levels.
A UNICEF report released in June 2025 found that 90 percent of children aged 10, or those in Grade 5, struggled to read, while more than 80 percent lacked basic math proficiency.
A 2022 World Bank report similarly found that 91 percent of Filipino children were not proficient in reading, adjusted for out-of-school children.
Another EDCOM 2 study found that at the start of School Year 2026-2027, about 4.3 million public school students, or 86 percent, from Grades 1 to 3 could not read at grade level.
EDCOM 2 has called for science-based, localized decisions on class suspensions to protect students from hazardous conditions while minimizing disruptions to learning.