For the second time in history, schools in the Philippines are forced to implement distance and online learning.
The Department of Education (DepEd) revealed that more than 7,000 schools across the country have continued to operate under the Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) due to the ongoing extreme heatwave.
Western Visayas topped the list with 1,613 schools implementing ADM, followed by Central Luzon, Bicol region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Mimaropa, and Cagayan Valley.
Metro Manila and other regions also reported significant numbers of schools under ADM, totaling 252 in Metro Manila alone.
The suspension of onsite classes throughout April prompted DepEd to expedite the transition back to the traditional June-March school calendar, a move supported by various groups and lawmakers citing the adverse effects of the current calendar on students.
DepEd's recent order, DepEd Order No. 3, s. 2024, adjusted the end of the current school year to May 31 and set the opening and closing dates for SY 2024-2025.
However, full implementation hinges on President Marcos's approval, potentially abandoning the phased transition plan.
In light of recent developments, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) urged substantial funding for teaching overload pay, welcoming DepEd Order 005 series of 2024.
The policy aims to rationalize workload and ensure fair compensation for public school teachers, emphasizing the importance of timely and adequate funding allocation to prevent delays or non-payment of overload pay.
“This is a great feat borne out of our militant and progressive union, along with our genuine representative in Congress... unrelenting fight and assertion of teachers’ rights stipulated in the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers through consistent consultations with teachers, lobbying in Senate and Congress and dialogues with DepEd and other concerned agencies,” ACT Chairman Vladimer Quetua said.
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