Class opening in September? Remember Ondoy.

There must be a more compelling reason to move the opening of classes from June to September other than the frequent rains and floods that occur in the months of June, July, and August. Strong rains, storms, and floods are also frequently occurring during September. The storms Ondoy and Pepeng which generated the most destructive floods in decades in the National Capital Region and north Luzon happened on September 2009. In fact, because of climate change, extreme weather disturbances are experienced by Filipinos all year round.

The September class opening will not solve anything. Students will still be inconvenienced by floods and classes will still be disrupted by freak storms and rains. And since there will be classes during the hot summer period, the learning ability of students in cramped and overcrowded classrooms will suffer too.

Storms, floods, El Niño will continue to worsen because of global warming. The best measure to protect students in flood-prone and disaster-prone areas is to adopt and implement an efficient disaster management mechanism. Level up the flood-prevention measures. Expand and seriously implement the disaster preparedness plan. Strengthen the infrastructure to prevent disasters.

The Department of Education is advised to identify the flood-prone schools and then draft a plan on how to minimize the negative impact of floods on the studies of students. If a school is used as evacuation center, there must be a ready-made system on how to continue the schooling of children in the community.

Before we shift the class opening to September, we must remember that students in the provinces participate in family activities during summer to help in the harvest season. Families are able to raise income during summer for the education expenses of their children. The postponement of class opening could affect access to education if families are not able to save enough money in the rainy months of June, July, and August.

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya

4th Nominee and Panay Spokesperson

Kabataan Party-list