Marcos backs DepEd plan for school-level class resumption
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has backed the proposal of the Department of Education (DepEd) to allow individual schools to resume face-to-face classes after disasters and severe weather even if class suspensions remain in effect across their city or municipality.
The proposed policy aims to prevent students from losing more school days than necessary when their campuses are already safe and accessible.
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Under a draft executive order submitted for the President’s approval, individual schools may resume in-person classes based on a documented safety assessment and upon the concurrence of their respective local chief executive.
“According to DepEd, schools prefer a flexible approach based on the actual situation of each school and community, rather than having automatic, uniform class suspensions across an entire province, city or municipality,” Castro said during Wednesday’s briefing, noting that geography, risks and conditions differ from one locality to another.
She added that this does not mean schools will be left to decide on their own.
“Coordination and shared responsibility with the local government units are important, along with clear safety assessments, timely communication and accountability before a decision is made,” she said.
The proposal came after extensive nationwide consultations with local chief executives, schools division superintendents, school heads, teachers, parents, and learners, which showed broad support for decisions based on actual conditions on the ground.
According to Education Secretary Sonny Angara, blanket class cancellations have severely disrupted basic education, especially in recent weeks when classes were suspended due to continuous heavy rains in different parts of the country brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat).
“In line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to protect learner safety while recovering lost learning time, we need a policy that reflects ground realities,” Angara said.
Angara said public schools lost up to 53 teaching days during School Year 2023-2024 due to weather disturbances and other disruptions.
“While safety will always remain our non-negotiable priority, we can no longer rely on broad, blanket suspensions where an entire city shuts down even when individual campuses are dry, safe, and ready to teach,” Angara added.
“If a school is clear, accessible, and certified safe, our learners should be back in the classroom without delay,” he noted.
DepEd expressed optimism that Marcos will approve the proposed EO before the end of the year to ensure long-term stability in basic education.
The proposal updates EO No. 66, s. 2012 which focused on automatic and localized suspension of classes and work in government offices during weather disturbances and calamities.
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According to the DepEd, the draft EO establishes standardized rules for both class suspensions and resumptions across a wider spectrum of natural and human-induced hazards, including extreme heat, earthquakes, power outages, and poor air quality.
The updated framework introduces school-level granular resumption as a central innovation.
When a city- or municipal-wide suspension is active, individual public school heads can initiate class resumptions based on a documented site-specific assessment, provided they receive concurrence from their respective mayors.
Under the proposed rules, local government units and schools division offices will operate within a structured one-hour concurrence window upon receiving a school’s safety assessment.
Private basic education schools may declare resumptions in prompt coordination with the mayor.
The policy also preserves school-level suspension powers established under DepEd Order No. 22, s. 2024. Under this policy, school heads may suspend in-person classes during isolated campus-level hazards, such as localized flooding or power failures, with the concurrence of their schools division superintendent. /dp
