Senate President Win Gatchalian has called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to implement localized class suspensions in response to the El Niño phenomenon, cautioning that nationwide or sweeping cancellations could worsen the ongoing learning crisis.
Gatchalian emphasized that DepEd guidelines must strike a balance between safeguarding students from severe weather and preventing unnecessary disruptions to classroom instruction.
”Hindi lang ang kaligtasan ng mga mag-aaral ang pinagbabantaan ng El Niño, kundi pati na rin kakayahan nilang matuto. Kailangang tiyakin nating hindi uurong ang kaalaman ng ating mga mag-aaral dahil palalalain nito ang krisis natin sa edukasyon,” he said on Sunday, November 1.
The senator’s appeal follows recent findings from a policy note by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), which reported that the typical public elementary school lost 20 teaching days throughout School Year 2025-2026 due to hazard-driven class suspensions.
Furthermore, research indicated that every single day of suspended classes corresponds to roughly 1.4 days of lost reading progress.
Gatchalian’s statement comes in the wake of DepEd’s rollout of the 4H Framework, which establishes criteria for suspending educational activities during extreme heat conditions. Under these guidelines, both physical and home-based learning activities are suspended when the heat index hits 42 degrees Celsius or higher.
While acknowledging the health risks posed by high temperatures, Gatchalian maintained that decisions should be tailored to specific local conditions to prevent widening existing learning gaps among students.