Politics · Philippines Bureau
DepEd urges LGUs to target class suspensions to specific areas only
The Department of Education is pushing local government units to announce class suspensions for affected areas only, rather than blanket closures, to minimize disruptions to student learning. Education Secretary Sonny Angara made the appeal as the administration prepares to issue guidelines on the matter.
LSN Philippines ·
MANILA — The Department of Education (DepEd) has called on local government units to adopt a more targeted approach when declaring class suspensions, limiting closures to specific geographical areas rather than implementing blanket suspensions across entire regions.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara stressed the importance of balancing student safety with the need to maintain regular academic instruction. "We need to be more precise in our announcements so we can protect our learners and school staff while ensuring minimal loss of learning time," Angara said during a Thursday briefing.
The call comes ahead of an Executive Order expected to provide clearer guidelines on class suspension protocols. DepEd emphasized that area-specific suspensions would allow schools in safer zones to continue operations, reducing the cumulative effect of repeated class closures on the academic calendar.
The department has instructed LGUs to coordinate closely with DepEd regional offices when making suspension decisions. Officials stressed that decisions should be based on verified hazard assessments and localized conditions rather than precautionary measures applied uniformly across multiple municipalities or provinces.