DOH to schools: Prioritize condition of students amid extreme heat

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday urged schools to take into consideration the conditions of students and to determine if they could attend face-to-face classes during the very hot weather.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, DOH Undersecretary Enrique Tayag backed the move of some schools and local government units to suspend in-person classes and temporarily implement alternative delivery modes due to extreme heat. 

“Tama naman po ‘yun kasi unahin muna ang kalagayan ng mga mag-aaral. Kailangan talaga ang mga paaralan ay tignan kung kakayanin ng mga magaaral na pumasok sa tindi ng init,” he said.

(That's good because the situation of the students should come first. The schools really need to assess if the students will be able to attend classes amid the intense heat.)

GMA News Online reached out to the Department of Education (DepEd) regarding this matter, and will update the story once it responds.

DepEd earlier repeatedly said that school heads can decide on their own if face-to-face classes need to be suspended in their respective schools due to the extreme heat brought by the El Niño phenomenon.

The agency also announced that students and teachers could wear more comfortable clothing—which is subject to dress codes—aside from their regular uniforms, to reduce the heat they feel while inside the schools.

As the El Niño phenomenon continue to affect the country, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-National Capital Region Union said on Monday that their survey found that 77% of NCR public school teachers could no longer bear the extreme heat in classrooms.

Tayag thus advised schools to open their windows and encourage students to drink more water so they will not get dehydrated.

“Umaasa kami na sana ay kahit papaano, maganda ang ventilation. Buksan ang bintana. Kung merong bentilador, makakatulong po ito,” he added.

(We hope there’s good ventilation in classrooms. Open the windows. Electric fans would also help.)

The Health official also said that while heat stroke is more common in adults, particularly those who are sick, children may also suffer from such.

Tayag previously said a person may suffer from heat stroke if his/her body temperature spikes to 40 degree Celsius or higher.

He also warned that heat stroke is deadly if the victim does not receive immediate treatment or is not brought to the nearest hospital.

In its health advisory, DOH reminded the following first-aid tips should a person suffer from heat stroke:

• transfer the person to a cooler or shady area
• remove clothes that could add up to body heat
• apply cold compress on the underarm, groin, neck, and back
• soak the person in cold water, if possible.

—AOL, GMA Integrated News