Schools call for granular class suspensions to avoid learning loss
Various educational institutions are calling for a granular, evidence-based approach to class suspensions to avoid unnecessary learning disruptions while keeping students and personnel safe.
The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines underscored that granular suspensions offer a more "responsive and context-sensitive approach" to disruptions caused by typhoons, flooding, extreme heat, and other hazards.
"Instead of applying a blanket suspension across an entire province or city, decisions may be calibrated according to the specific location, level of risk, school conditions, time of day, grade level, and actual accessibility of learners and teachers," CEAP said in a statement.
It noted this protects learners while "preserving as much instructional continuity as conditions safely permit." CEAP added that suspensions must be paired with granular learning recovery through curriculum triage.
"A two-day suspension, for example, does not automatically require two additional days of compressed instruction; the appropriate response depends on the learning that was actually lost," CEAP explained.
"Ultimately, a more responsive system connects the decision to suspend classes with a deliberate plan for protecting instructional time, prioritizing essential learning, and providing targeted support to learners who experienced the greatest disruption," it continued.
The EDSA-Ortigas Consortium—comprised of Xavier School, Saint Pedro Poveda College, La Salle Greenhills, and Immaculate Concepcion Academy—echoed CEAP's call. While it recognizes that safety of the learners and school personnel must always remain paramount during disasters, they are also concerned about the educational impact of successive and broad unwarranted class suspensions.
"Conditions can vary significantly even within the same city or locality," it said, arguing that alternative learning modalities are not always equivalent substitutes for face-to-face classes.
"Differences in connectivity, home learning environments, access to teachers and resources, and the nature of particular subjects can affect learning. Repeated disruptions can lead to fragmented instruction and cumulative learning loss," they said.
With the granular suspension protocol, school heads can determine whether face-to-face classes may safely continue, based on clear government guidelines.
"We commit ourselves to responsive learning recovery when suspensions are unavoidable. We recognize our responsibility to identify the essential learning affected and determine how best to address it through curriculum adjustments, remediation, and targeted support," EDSOR stressed.
"Protecting learners from immediate risks and protecting their right to sustained, quality education need not be competing goals. Both require sound judgment, reliable evidence, clear public policy, and shared responsibility among government, schools, and families," it added.
'Let’s trust the principals and the local executives'
The Second Congressional Commission on Education, a national advisory body created to conduct a comprehensive review of the country's education sector, voiced their support for localized decisions on class suspensions.
In a televised interview, EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Roman Romulo stressed that granular class suspensions are a must.
"Hindi naman siguro dapat ‘yung buong probinsya. Hindi naman siguro ‘yung buong siyudad," he said. "Let’s trust the principals and the local executives and the superintendents too."
EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee similarly lamented how "every day of disruption has a learning cost."
"When class suspensions accumulate, the lost learning cannot simply be made up through additional hours or Saturday classes. We need a system that more accurately responds to the conditions on the ground, while keeping the safety of students as our primary consideration," he said.
The commission is urging the Office of the President to amend Executive Order No. 66, s. 2012, which currently governs the suspension and resumption of classes during disasters. It proposed a three-level system for class suspensions: automatic suspensions when national hazard thresholds are met; localized suspensions decided by local officials based on risks and scientific data in their areas, in consultation with schools; and school-level suspensions based on conditions at individual schools.
Nevertheless, it acknowledged that the system must still be paired with strong learning continuity measures.
"Schools need to be prepared to use different ways of continuing instruction during disruptions, including printed learning materials, modules, home-based learning, and other appropriate delivery modes depending on their circumstances," EDCOM 2 said.
Apart from the granular suspension, it is also pushing for institutions to have an annual learning continuity plan in place before the school year begins, identifying in advance how teaching will continue when disasters, extreme weather, or other emergencies force classes to stop.
According to EDCOM 2, schools have lost an average of 15 days each school year since 2024 due to calamity-related class suspensions. Negros Occidental was the hardest-hit single division, losing 71 school days due to the months-long Kanlaon Volcano eruption, followed by Canlaon City at 61 days. In Metro Manila, 16 divisions lost 15 days on average due to monsoon and typhoons.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education recently came up with a proposal that would give schools the authority to resume face-to-face classes depending on their specific safety conditions.