HEAT WAVE | Teachers’ group urges DepEd to adapt public schools to summer heat

March 28, 2023 , 04:40 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(March 28, 2023) – A progressive teachers’ group on Tuesday urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to ensure that public schools are conducive to learning during the dry season, noting many teachers have complained of unbearable heat during face-to-face classes.

In an online survey of 11,706 public school teachers conducted by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) on March 24 to 27, two out of three or around 67% said they found their classroom environment intolerably hot during the dry season.

Only 32% of 11,706 public school teachers felt that the temperature inside their classroom is bearable. Less than 1% said their classroom conditions felt pleasant.

“Huwag sana nating hintayin na tumindi pa ang pagkakasakit at pagliban ng mga bata dahil lalong walang matututunan sa gayung kalagayan,” said ACT chair Vladimer Quetua. “We are now asking the Department of Education, what solutions do you offer?”

Some 97% of teachers said they still use electric fans inside classrooms, while only 1% have air conditioners. About 2% also said they have neither and only depend on natural ventilation.

Due to the hot temperature, 37% of teachers said this has triggered existing medical conditions among teachers and students such as hypertension, migraine, and asthma, ACT said.

An overwhelming 87% of the teachers also said their students could not focus on the lessons due to intolerable heat in classrooms, while 40% saw more of their learners missing classes since the start of the summer months.

Some of the suggestions that the respondents made to address the problem include installing air conditioners in more classrooms, adjusting the class schedules to avoid the hottest hours of the day, and implementing blended learning.

Many also demanded to revert the school calendar to its pre-pandemic schedule when vacation coincided with the hottest months, ACT said.

“Kung hindi mababago ang ating kalagayan, mawawalan ng saysay ang paglulunsad ng face-to-face classes sa mga susunod na buwan kung kailan titindi pa ang init ng panahon,” Quetua said.

The release of the survey came after more than 100 students were brought to hospitals after showing signs of heat exhaustion while conducting an unannounced fire drill at a public high school in Cabuyao City, Laguna last week.

The education department has launched a probe into the fire drill in Laguna to find solutions to avoid the incident from happening again. The health department’s Calabarzon office has also expressed plans to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) last week announced the start of the dry season, which is expected to last until May. PAGASA forecaster Samuel Duran said they expect the heat index to rise further as the summer solstice approaches.

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