Senator backs modular learning options amid extreme heat

MANILA, Philippines — As the climate continues to get hotter and power outages become recurrent in some parts of the country, Senator Bong Go is throwing his support behind the option to implement modular learning as a way to keep students safe.

During a chance interview after aiding poor residents in Ubay town in Bohol on Thursday, the senator highlighted the importance of prioritizing the safety and health of students, especially during extreme weather conditions.

“What is important is for them to continue with their studies and to not disrupt the school year. We have to prioritize the health and safety of our schoolchildren,” Go said in Filipino.

He noted that the online and modular learning systems were previously implemented in the country and can be used again when it is no longer practical and safe to use face-to-face learning.

With temperatures soaring, there are growing concerns about the safety of students who may be forced to attend face-to-face classes in extreme heat or during power outages.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has reminded school heads of their authority to suspend face-to-face classes and shift to alternative delivery modes such as modular distance learning due to these concerns. It cited DepEd Order 37, released in 2022, as the memorandum that can be used by officials when implementing the modular distance learning.

The order empowers school heads to assess if unfavorable circumstances, such as extreme heat or power outages, may significantly impact in-person classroom learning and jeopardize the health and safety of students.

In its five-day forecast for April 25 to 29, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Iloilo City would experience the maximum heat index of 37 degrees Celsius.

Other key cities – including Butuan, Cabanatuan, Cotabato, Dagupan, Davao and General Santos, among others – are expected to experience a heat index of 36 degrees Celsius.