House education panel chair wants climate-resilient classrooms amid extreme heat

A House leader on Wednesday said that classrooms in Philippine schools are not ready for the extreme heat being experienced now, and should be retrofitted in order to be more climate-resilient.

Pasig City Representative Roman Romulo, who chairs the House committee on basic education and culture, said that the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and other concerned government agencies should discuss the design of classrooms that would be ideal during the dry and rainy seasons. 

Pending this, he reiterated the need for the gradual return of the June-March school calendar in order to mitigate the impact of the scorching weather to students and teachers. 

“[This is] for the simple reason na hindi handa ang classrooms natin. We don’t have enough classrooms, even the existing classrooms, hindi siya weather-resistant. Hindi niya kaya ‘yung init kasi ‘yung pagka-design sa kanya ay medyo mainit talaga,” Romulo said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum. 

(This is for the simple reason that our classrooms are not ready. We don't have enough classrooms, and even the existing classrooms are not weather-resistant. They can't handle the heat because of their design.)

Several schools and local government units have already suspended in-person classes and temporarily shifted to alternative delivery modes due to the severe heat. 

Romulo said he does not expect classrooms to be made climate-ready anytime soon, as he hasn’t seen any design submitted yet. 

“Siguro for the peace of mind and mental wellness of our teachers and students and their parents, ibalik natin gradually sa old calendar. But moving forward, kailangan ‘yung mga itatayong classrooms, kahit papaano ‘yung disenyo niya, may ventilation dapat na maayos,” he added.

(Let's gradually shift back to the old calendar for the peace of mind and mental wellness of our teachers and students and their parents. But moving forward, the classrooms that will be built should be designed in a way that it has proper ventilation.) 

For DepEd’s part, Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas said Tuesday that regional directors and superintendents have the authority to move class schedules to early morning or in the late afternoon amid the intolerable heat being felt in some schools this dry season.

He also said that outdoor school activities may be omitted between 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to prevent students from having direct exposure to sun.

The DepEd has also reminded school heads that they can decide on their own if face-to-face classes need to be suspended in their respective schools due to the heat aggravated by the El Niño phenomenon.

The agency also announced that students and teachers could wear more comfortable clothing in schools to reduce the heat they feel. — BM, GMA Integrated News