The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA) on Monday called for science-based localized class suspensions, as lost teaching days from imminent weather threats put students’ learning outcomes at risk.
“The safety of every learner, teacher, and school employee must remain paramount during severe weather, disasters, and other emergencies,” the group said. “At the same time, protecting learners also means protecting their right to education.”
“Repeated and unnecessarily broad class suspensions carry consequences that extend far beyond a single missed school day,” it added.
Under Executive Order No. 66, s. 2012, class suspensions are tied to the weather bureau’s storm signal system and allow local government units (LGUs) to cancel classes locally.
The current mandate enables a ‘blanket suspension’ across schools within an entire political boundary, regardless of the campus’ current situation.
“Blanket suspension orders covering entire regions, provinces, or cities may close schools that are far from the affected area or are otherwise capable of operating safely,” the group said.
“Although issued out of an understandable desire to exercise caution, such orders can result in avoidable losses of valuable learning time,” it added.
Data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) found that a typical public elementary school suspends about 20 days due to hazards in School Year 2025-2026. This translates to one out of every ten days in the school calendar.
In Metro Manila and several other provinces, 12 of the 28 school days were suspended between Aug. 1 and Sept. 15 due to weather-related hazards.
The commission said that class cancellations can lead to poor learning outcomes for Grades 1 to 3, with a 0.10-standard-deviation decline in reading attainment. This translates to about 1.4 days of reading progress lost for each day for 17 suspended school days.
With the educational losses linked to suspensions, COCOPEA called for the review of the nationwide framework and its implementation.
The group noted that the suspension protocols must be based on data from relevant agencies, including the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), and other competent scientific authorities.
It added that local authorities and private-school heads with established emergency protocols, reliable risk-assessment systems, adequate facilities, and clear communication arrangements with their school communities must be allowed to implement evidence-based decisions to suspend and resume classes.
If suspension occurs, private schools must also be supported in providing appropriate alternative learning arrangements and meaningful opportunities to recover lost instructional time.
“School leaders who understand the conditions on their campuses, and who have demonstrated the capacity to protect their communities, should be trusted to make responsible decisions within clear government standatds,” the group said.
“COCOPEA is not calling for the abandonment of precaution,” it added. “We are calling for better-calibrated precaution: science-based, proportionate, localized, and responsive to changing conditions on the ground.” — Almira Louise S. Martinez
