DepEd issued a memorandum which is the revision of class suspensions to protect students and school personnel from disasters and natural calamities.
The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday issued Memorandum Order No. 37 which is the revised guidelines for suspension of classes during disasters and natural calamities especially since students are now attending face-to-face classes.
The new policy promotes the safety and protection of the learners and personnel from unnecessary dangers that they may be exposed to during disasters and natural calamities. As the Philippines is situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire, it makes the country vulnerable to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In addition, due to the Philippines’ geographical location, it is prone to tropical cyclones which generally produce heavy rains and flooding of large areas.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said the decision to issue these new guidelines is to ensure that the students and school personnel’s rights to life, health, and safety are always protected.
Revised guidelines on suspensions
Under the memorandum, both online and face-to-face classes on all levels of basic education, which is from kindergarten to senior high school, will be automatically canceled in areas covered by flood, typhoon, or rainfall warnings issued by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
The local chief executives shall be the ones to decide on the cancellation of classes in areas where there are strong winds in specific or all areas of the LGU but it is not due to a typhoon.
“If the TCWS (tropical cyclone warning signal) is issued at a time when classes have already begun, the school shall immediately suspend the classes and work and send everyone home, if it is safe to do so,” Business Mirror quoted the DepEd “However, schools are obligated to keep the students and personnel safely in school if traveling has become unsafe,” it added.
In cases of earthquakes, both online and face-to-face classes are also automatically suspended when the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) declared a tremblor with the agency’s Earthquake Intensity Scale V or above.
School principals can also cancel classes at any Intensity Level if buildings and other structures are in danger of collapsing or has major damage while mayors shall decide on canceling classes in cases where the Earthquake Intensity Scale is IV and below.
Tags: #Education, #DepEd, #ClassSuspension, #NaturalCalamities