ILOILO – The Department of Education (DepEd)-Schools Division of Iloilo is reminding more or less half a million learners and 22,000 teaching and non-teaching personnel to be wary of the intense heat, especially sun exposure from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
DepEd-Iloilo’s reminder followed reports of headache and dizziness among 1,313 learners and 149 personnel from different schools in the town of Sara due to the intense heat. This is a cumulative report from March to April 5.
“May report kita nga na-receive nga mga kabataan and teachers are affected by the intense heat, mostly headache and lingin sang ulo or dizziness,” said DepEd-Schools Division of Iloilo information officer Leonil Salvilla in an interview with Panay News.
Salvilla clarified that the learners and teachers were not taken to the hospital but were given time to rest and recover.
Aside from Sara town, there were reports, too, of learners from San Miguel Elementary School in San Miguel town affected by intense heat, but DepEd-Iloilo is still waiting for the official report from their information coordinator.
What did the schools do when there were reported cases of headache and dizziness?
According to Salvilla, to address the situation or minimize the effect of the intense heat among learners and personnel, some teachers opted to shorten the class time while some shifted to modular distance learning for a day.
Some classrooms were no longer conducive to learning, added Salvilla, while some changed locations or decided to have classes in open, shaded areas.
“So far, amo na ang interventions nga ginhimu sang aton schools para nga ma-address ang sitwasyon subong kay wala pa man natapos ang aton classes,” he added.
Salvilla said their central office recently made a statement that school heads can issue an order to shift classes from face-to-face to other modalities like modular distance learning if necessary for one or two days if the weather is really hot.
The DepEd-Iloilo information officer also reminded learners and personnel to follow the health reminders issued by the Department of Health and concerned local government units.
“Dapat enough ang tubig nga gina-inom naton. We stay hydrated sa bilog nga adlaw and indi kita magpainit, mag-expose directly sa adlaw especially from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.,” he added.
Salvilla also noted other schools allow learners and personnel not to wear school uniforms, especially when it’s raining or hot, and instead wear thin and comfortable clothing.
Some refrain from conducting activities to avoid exposing learners and personnel to the direct heat of the sun./PN
