THE Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) yesterday said 10 areas in the country may experience high temperatures today, with Dagupan City in Pangasinan forecast to have a heat index of 44 degrees Celsius.
The weather bureau also said a heat index of 43 degrees Celsius will be felt in Puerto Princesa City and Aborlan, both in Palawan; Bacnotan town in La Union, and Roxas City in Capiz.
Tuguegarao City and Aparri town, both in Cagayan; San Jose town in Occidental Mindoro, Zamboanga City in Zamboanga del Sur, and Cotabato City in Maguindanao del Norte will sizzle today with a heat index of 42 degrees Celsius.
PAGASA has classified under the “danger” level a heat index ranging from 42 to 51 degrees Celsius. It said heat cramps and heat exhaustion are likely to be experienced, while heat stroke is possible under this condition.
As the high temperatures continue, the Department of Education (DepEd) said close to 6,000 schools nationwide have already suspended face-to-face classes and shifted to alternative distance mode (ADM) due to the extreme heat.
DepEd data showed that 5,844 schools have suspended in-person learning, with 1,124 schools in Central Luzon shifted to ADM, followed by Central Visayas with 792, SOCCSKSARGEN with 678, Bicol with 634, and Zamboanga Peninsula with 610.
In the National Capital Region, F2F classes are also suspended in 306 schools in Caloocan, Las Piñas, Malabon, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, San Juan, and Taguig cities.
There are 47,678 public schools nationwide.
The recent suspension of in-person classes in schools all over the country due to the extreme heat have prompted calls teacher’s groups Teachers Dignity Coalition and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers to call for the immediate return to the June-March school calendar, when the vacation of students and teachers are aligned with the summer months of April and May.
The DepEd has said that the transition cannot be rushed as it would affect the scheduled rest period of students and teachers.
It added that the phased transition to the old schedule was not a hasty decision of the department but rather, the result of extensive consultations held with field personnel, student leaders, parent organizations, and teacher organizations.
“As a result of the mentioned consultations, however, the original timeline of five years was reduced to only two years. To reduce the timeline any further would have significant impacts not only on learning outcomes but also on the well-being of learners and teachers due to the lack of sufficient breaks,” the DepEd has said.
Anyway, it said that schools may switch to ADM anytime in cases of man-made or natural disasters, including weather disturbances such as extreme heat.
For the current school year (2023-2024), the DepEd has set the end of the academic year earlier than scheduled, or on May 31, 2024, as part of the plan to gradually shift to the old school calendar.
The school year 2024-2025 in public schools is set to start on July 29, 2024 and end on May 16, 2025. — With Ashzel Hachero
