ANN/INQUIRER – All public elementary and high schools in Muntinlupa City, the Philippines will shift to blended learning amid the worsening heat this dry season, the city government said on Saturday.
This makes Muntinlupa the first local government in the National Capital Region to adjust classes in the city to the hot weather, after the country’s heat index has surpassed 40 degrees Celcius since March, according to the state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
From tomorrow to June 2, the city’s 28 primary and secondary schools will implement “a combination of face-to-face and asynchronous modalities”, the city government said, explaining that under the latter setup, teachers may post lessons online without having to virtually conduct classes.
This month-long implementation of blended learning is intended to “protect students, teachers, as well as parents and guardians facing health risks due to an ongoing heat wave”, the city government said in a statement.
It also quoted Mayor Ruffy Biazon as saying that “the safety of our students and school personnel is a priority of the city government. We remind everyone to take the necessary precautions to avoid illnesses brought about by the prevailing hot weather conditions”.
The Department of Education (DepEd) said last week that schools could cancel or postpone in-person classes, as it cited rising temperatures in the country which could affect the health of students and school personnel.
Last year, DepEd issued Department Order Number 37, which provides for the implementation of modular distance learning in the event of cancelled or suspended classes due to natural disasters, calamities, and human-induced hazards.
