Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has extended the suspension of face-to-face classes in Bacolod City to Wednesday and Thursday, April 3 and 4, with the heat index forecasted to be at 40 degrees Celsius.
The suspension of face-to-face classes for pre-school, elementary, secondary, and senior high levels is extended, the mayor announced on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
Schools are still encouraged to adopt alternative delivery modes for instructional methods to benefit their students, he said.
However, private schools with air-conditioned rooms and tertiary-level institutions may exercise their discretion to continue with face-to-face classes, Benitez said.
He reminded the public to stay hydrated.
EB Magalona, and the cities of Silay, San Carlos, Talisay and Himamaylan also extended the suspension of face-to-face classes.
Mayor Marvin Malacon extended the suspension of face-to-face classes at all levels in public and private schools in E. B. Magalona to Wednesday due to the high heat index, and ordered the Department of Education to continue adopting Alternative Delivery Modes of learning such as modular and online classes.
Mayor Joedith Gallego also ordered the extension of the suspension of face-to-face classes at all levels in Silay City until Wednesday.
All face -to-face classes in public and private institutions are also temporarily suspended in San Carlos City from Wednesday to Friday.
Mayor Neil Lizares also extended suspension of face-to-face classes in the preschool, elementary up to senior high school levels in Talisay City.
For private schools with fully air-conditioned classrooms, face-to-face classes is upon the discretion of their officials, he said.
Mayor Raymund Tongson extended the suspension of face-to-face classes at all levels in public and private schools in Himamaylan City to April 3.
ON TUESDAY
Bacolod City and 12 local government units in Negros Occidental suspended face-to-face classes, while nine other LGUs left the decision to school officials, to protect students from the extreme heat hitting the province for a second day on Tuesday, April 2.
The Negros Occidental LGUs that suspended face-to-face classes at various levels were Silay, Kabankalan, Bago and Himamaylan cities, and the municipalities of EB Magalona, Hinoba-an, Isabela, Binalbagan, Candoni, Cauayan, Murcia and Hinigaran.
The mayors of La Carlota, Sipalay and Victorias cities and the municipalities of Ilog, Moises Padilla, La Castellana, Murcia and Valladolid left the discretion on the suspension of face-to-face classes to the various school heads.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said he is leaving the decisions on the suspension of face-to-face classes to the mayors and the school officials.
“There are talks that it will get hotter until the end of April,” he said.
VICTORIAS
Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said “suspending classes merely offers a temporary fix to a complex issue. If we were to follow this path, consider the implications of temperatures spiking again tomorrow or the following week. Would this mean a halt to all school attendance?”
“Ultimately, the necessity of formal education for our children remains paramount. The most effective approach is to adapt our learning environments to these challenges, making them more suitable for education despite the heat,” he said.
Benitez said he has granted the Victorias City school heads the discretion to make decisions in alignment with the Department of Education’s directives.
They are in the process of evaluating the availability of fans in classrooms across all schools in Victorias City, Benitez said.
They are also relaxing the uniform policy during extreme heat conditions and considering the addition of more water fountains to ensure hydration, he added.*