CDN FILE PHOTO.
CEBU CITY, Philippines – It is going to be the call of the principals and all educational institutions if they want to suspend their classes.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has delegated the final decision on whether to suspend classes due to the rising heat index to the institutions themselves.
He said he did not wish to decide for what he considered an affair of the institutions, as he cited the fact that not all institutions were significantly impacted by the heat.
“It’s going to be the call of the principal. It’s going to be call of the educational institution. Sila may nakahibalo sa ila(ng) areas… Naa may educational institution [nga] airconditioned… [Naay] educational institution naay mga sakyanan, kuhaon dayon [ang mga estudyante] pauli sa ilaha,” Rama said.
(It’s going to be the call of the principal. It’s going to be the call of the educational institution. They are the ones who know their areas… there are educational institiutions that are airconditioned…[there are] educational institutions that have vehicles, they can fetch the students and bring them to their homes.)
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Rama on class suspensions
The mayor’s statement comes in response to City Councilor Rey Gealon’s resolution requesting the Office of the Mayor to suspend classes at all levels, if necessary, should a dangerous heat index persist.
Gealon expressed, through his resolution, the importance of suspending classes if necessary, as the health and safety of students are of utmost importance.
He further said that precautionary measures must be taken to prevent students from experiencing heat strokes and exhaustion.
Gealon also said that it is “imperative that face-to-face classes be suspended, should it be necessary, in the event that the dangerous heat index persists.”
However, Rama mentioned that he had already issued an executive order regarding the matter. But, it did not specifically mention the suspension of all classes because he believed that such a decision must come from the schools themselves.
That is the general rule, Rama added.
The mayor mentioned the need to establish precise guidelines delineating the circumstances under which the city government should intervene in educational affairs.
He also suggested the creation of comprehensive national guidelines to ensure a consistent and professional approach across all institutions.
“Sayon ra na pagbuhat og [resolution] nga ipasuspend pero dili man sila ang DepEd, dili sila ang education institutions,” Rama said referring to the council.
(It is easy to do a [resolution] to suspend classes but they are not DepEd, they are not the education institutions.)
Meanwhile, according to reports, several local government units (LGUs) in Cebu have taken action by announcing the suspension of face-to-face classes starting Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
In Lapu-Lapu City, face-to-face classes in public schools, from kindergarten to high school, will be suspended from April 3 to April 12.
Private schools have been granted the discretion to determine their course of action regarding class suspensions.
Likewise, Liloan has opted to suspend face-to-face classes in public schools from kindergarten to high school during the same period, running from April 3 to April 12.
Talisay City has extended the suspension period slightly, with face-to-face classes in public schools, ranging from kindergarten to high school, being halted from April 3 to April 14.
As with Lapu-Lapu City, private schools in Talisay City have been given the authority to decide on class suspensions.
In Minglanilla, the decision to suspend face-to-face classes applies to both public and private schools, encompassing students from kindergarten to high school, starting from April 3.
However, an end date for the suspension has not been specified.
Lastly, the City of Naga will suspend face-to-face classes in public schools at all levels from April 3 to April 14.
Last April 1, the Department of Education (DepEd) revealed that several cities and municipalities have opted for an alternative mode of delivering classes and suspended in-person classes due to the scorching heat.
According to DepEd, a total of 13 cities and municipalities implemented alternative delivery mode (ADM) classes in the regions of Ilocos, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Soccsksargen.