MANILA, Philippines — Manila announced on Tuesday that face-to-face classes in the city’s public schools will only be from 6:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. starting April 11 until May 28.
In an April 8 memorandum, the Department of Education (DepEd)-Schools Division Office of Manila said the decision to enforce the morning-only classes was in consideration of the health of the students amid the roasting hot weather in the country.
“In view of the onset of summer season where dangerous level of heat index is expected, all public schools in the Division shall conduct classes only from 6:00 AM to 12:00 NN, from April 11 to May 28, 2024,” the document states.
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The memo, however, required teachers to still be physically present in schools despite the adjusted class setting. It also instructed school administrators to “re-calibrate class schedules” to ensure it complies with set standards of the DepEd.
This photo shows the memorandum of the Department of Education-Schools Division Office of Manila that imposes morning-only face-to-face classes in the city’s public schools starting April 11, 2024, until May 28, 2024, due to the searing hot weather in the country. (Photo from Manila Public Information Office.)
“It must be noted that teachers shall report to school, regardless of the implemented modality, either to conduct online teaching, prepare activity sheets, check and record learners’ output, monitor learners’ progress, or to fulfill year-end tasks,” the notice states.
READ: School heads can suspend in-person classes due to heat – DepEd
Based on the suggested schedule attached to the memorandum, alternating modes may be implemented where morning session students would have face-to-face classes on the first day, while afternoon session students would have asynchronous classes. The two classes may then switch schedules on the second day.
However, the memo also clarified that School Heads, School Parent-Teachers Associations, and Faculty Clubs can likewise design their own schedules to fit their schools, as long as they follow DepEd parameters.
On April 4, DepEd announced that school heads nationwide could suspend classes at their discretion due to high heat indices.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the heat index in Metro Manila may reach 39 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius on April 9 and 10.