THE ISLAND Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS) declared temporary half-day classes from April 5 to 30 due to extreme heat and power outages.
Mayor Al David Uy issued Executive Order No. 21 on Wednesday, April 3, implementing half-day classes from 7 a.m. to noon.
The order stressed extreme heat can affect the conduct of classroom learning and endanger students’ health. Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) recorded a heat index of 42-46 degrees Celsius, as of April 2.
“The Island Garden City of Samal is experiencing constant power outages/ brownouts hampering the learning environment of students particularly those having night schedules,” the EO reads.
Under the order, all schools in charge and teaching personnel in the city are prescribed to adopt a modular learning set-up or go online classes, per Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 037, series of 2022.
DepEd DO No. 037 of 2022 authorizes suspension or cancellation of classes during a disaster or power outage and implements distance learning to secure the safety of students and school personnel while ensuring learning continuity.
The schools division superintendent of DepEd-IGaCoS will implement the order.
However, city tertiary institutions, colleges, and universities can decide whether or not to abide by the order.
DepEd XI spokesperson Jenielito Atillo clarified during the iSpeak forum on Thursday, April 4, that Samal is the first government unit to suspend face-to-face classes in the region.
Atillo added online classes are not feasible since IGaCoS experiences regular and extended power outages. For this reason, they decided to go for a modular setup.
