Angara seeks Marcos’ approval for new rules on class suspensions

Education Secretary Sonny Angara will ask President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to approve new rules that would give local officials and school heads more authority to suspend or resume in-person classes based on actual conditions in their areas, as the government seeks to reduce learning losses caused by disasters and extreme weather.

The draft order would establish three mechanisms for suspending classes: automatic suspensions based on national technical thresholds; city- or municipality-wide suspensions ordered by local chief executives; and site-specific suspensions or resumptions initiated by school heads based on conditions in and around their campuses.

“When a hazard strikes, the safety of our students, teachers, and school personnel is non-negotiable. However, every unnecessary day a classroom stays closed costs our learners their potential and compromises our long-term economic productivity,” Angara said.

“By institutionalizing granular suspensions and resumptions, we give our local executives and school heads the legal backing and flexibility to make science-backed decisions tailored to real-time, ground conditions,” he added.

The expanded framework would cover heavy rainfall, flooding, earthquakes, storm surges, poor air quality, volcanic smog, volcanic hazards and extreme heat, including a heat index of 40 degrees Celsius or higher. It would also retain typhoons among the hazards that can trigger suspensions.

The proposal would also allow public school heads to resume classes even while a city- or municipality-wide suspension remains in effect if conditions at their school have become safe. Such resumptions would require a documented site-specific assessment and the concurrence of the local chief executive.

Private basic education schools could also resume classes based on local conditions, in coordination with the local chief executive.

The proposed system is intended to prevent blanket suspensions from extending beyond the period when they are necessary while still allowing schools to close when conditions pose a safety risk.

The proposal also seeks to maintain instruction when students cannot physically attend school through alternative learning delivery modalities, flexible learning options, self-learning resources and temporary learning spaces.