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Win Gatchalian urges principals to shift to blended learning amid El Niño alert


Senate basic education committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian is urging school principals to shift from in-person classes to blended learning after the state weather bureau PAGASA issued an El Niño alert.

“Ang pinaka-importanteng responsibilidad ng principals natin ay yung kapakanan o kalagayan ng ating mga estudyante. Kung nakikita nila na sobrang init o may bagyo o anumang hindi maganda sa kanilang lugar, pwedeng mag-cancel ng klase ang ating principals. Pwede rin sila ngayong mag-blended learning,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

(The most important responsibility of the principals is the welfare of the students. If they observe that there’s extreme heat, a typhoon, or any other bad situation in their area, principals can cancel classes in their respective schools. They can also implement blended learning.)

On Tuesday, PAGASA issued an El Niño alert after forecasts showed that the phenomenon may emerge in the next three months at 80% probability and may last until the first quarter of next year.

The El Niño phenomenon is characterized by the abnormal warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and below-normal rainfall.
 
Gatchalian mentioned reports from the Department of Education indicating that some schools are already implementing a blended mode of learning amid the hot weather.
 
In-person classes are already held during the cooler hours of the day, but students are supplemented by alternative learning delivery modes.
 
Under DepEd Order No. 37 Series of 2022, modular distance learning, performance tasks, projects, or make-up classes shall be implemented in the event of canceled or suspended classes to ensure that learning competencies and objectives are still met.
 
In March, Gatchalian said the country should revert to the old school calendar, where students’ vacations were set in the months of April and May.
 
The current school year opened on August 22, 2022, and will end on July 7, 2023. —VBL, GMA Integrated News

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