35 school days lost in disaster-hit areas

MANILA, Philippines — As many as 35 school days have been lost in some areas in the country due to the impact of storms and other natural disasters, the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday, as it announced the rollout of remedial measures to help students cope with class disruptions.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has lost 35 school days – the highest number of class disruptions nationwide – due to natural disasters and calamities.

DepEd data showed that Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Region, Calabarzon and Central Luzon all lost 29 school days, with a few class disruptions caused by man-made hazards such as fire.

Meanwhile, 239 schools across the country have been marked “very high risk” to further learning losses due to how frequent natural hazards hit the areas.

Angara said the schools that were severely damaged displaced 377,729 students during natural calamities this year.

Additionally, 4,771 schools with 3,865,903 learners have been categorized as “high risk.”

During a convention of the DepEd’s National Management Committee, Angara disclosed that the agency decided to roll out the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP) to ensure learning continuity, especially in affected regions.

“The DLP can be implemented in schools as make-up classes and catch-up sessions in temporary learning spaces. The initiative features parallel classes, activity-based engagement, student portfolios and a reduced homework policy,” he said.

Developed by education advocate and 2010 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Christopher Bernido, the DLP is one of the DepEd’s multi-step interventions for learning recovery, according to Angara.

“This aims to supplement the learners’ skills and knowledge, through the Khan PH’s online learning content,” Angara said.

Under a partnership signed on Aug. 5 with the DepEd, Khan Academy agreed to provide free courses and access to Khanmigo, an artificial intelligence-powered tutor in English and Filipino language that guides learners and assists teachers.

Meanwhile, public school teachers are calling on the DepEd to appoint more competent school principals due to an “alarming” number of school administrators who do not meet government-imposed standards to lead schools.

Citing findings from the Second Congressional Commission on Education, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition said over half of the country’s 45,918 public schools lack qualified principals, with only 20,718 schools having principals who meet DepEd standards for school leadership.

Last month, the DepEd reported that over 5,000 teachers nationwide have qualified to become school principals after passing the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH).

Basas said candidates who passed the 2021 and 2023 NQESH have yet to be appointed.