The Department of Education (DepEd) is preparing to submit a proposed Executive Order (EO) that would update the rules governing the suspension and resumption of classes in basic education.
The move follows the approval by the Social Development Committee (SDC) Cabinet Cluster of the proposed revisions to Executive Order 66, series of 2012, after Education Secretary Sonny Angara presented the measure.
Angara said the proposed policy is designed to protect learning continuity by adopting a more localized and flexible approach to both class suspensions and resumptions.
“Under President (Ferdinand) Marcos’ (Jr.) leadership, we are reframing our approach: we are not merely suspending classes; we are safeguarding learning continuity,” he said.
DepEd data showed that weather disturbances and disasters resulted in approximately 20 to 40 days of lost instructional time from June 8 through August 31 alone. The figure approaches the 53 days of instructional disruption recorded out of 180 school days during School Year 2023-2024.
Angara said the proposed system would provide local officials and school leaders with clearer authority to respond to conditions in their respective areas.
“By institutionalizing granular suspensions and resumptions, we give our local executives and school heads the legal backing and flexibility to make science-backed decisions tailored to real-time, ground conditions,” Angara said.
Under the proposed EO, three mechanisms would guide decisions on class suspensions, with coordination between schools and local government units.
These would include automatic suspensions triggered by nationally established technical thresholds, localized suspensions ordered by local chief executives, and granular suspension and resumption decisions based on conditions affecting specific schools or communities.
DepEd said the proposed framework would provide a “more comprehensive, hazard-inclusive, and decentralized framework for the suspension and resumption of in-person classes and onsite work.”
The approach is intended to strike a balance between protecting students and school personnel from hazards and minimizing disruptions to education.
“When a hazard strikes, the safety of our students, teachers, and school personnel is non-negotiable,” Angara said.
At the same time, he emphasized the broader consequences of unnecessary disruptions to classroom instruction.
“However, every unnecessary day a classroom stays closed costs our learners their potential and compromises our long-term economic productivity.”
The revised policy would also broaden the range of hazards considered when determining whether in-person classes should be suspended.
Aside from typhoons, the proposed provisions would cover heavy rainfall, flooding, earthquakes, storm surges, poor air quality, volcanic smog, volcanic hazards, and extreme heat, including conditions reaching 40 degrees Celsius or a higher heat index.
The proposal would retain the existing authority of schools to suspend in-person classes based on documented, site-specific assessments, subject to the concurrence of the Schools Division Superintendent.
DepEd said the proposed changes are aimed at allowing faster and more appropriate responses to localized hazards while helping schools resume face-to-face learning as soon as conditions are considered safe.