The suspension of face-to-face classes due to extreme heat has affected 381,415 learners in Negros Occidental, a Department of Education official said Friday, March 14.
The suspension of face-to-face classes were on various dates between March 3 to 7 depending on the heat index levels, Hernani Escullar, DepEd Western Visayas spokesperson, said.
The forecasted heat index for Negros Occidental on Friday was 40 degrees Celsius and 38 degrees for Saturday, March 15.
Escullar said 652 schools in five of 13 DepEd divisions in Negros Occidental reported suspensions of face-to-face classes.
They were the Bacolod, Himamaylan, Kabankalan, Negros Occidental and Silay schools divisions, he said.
Escullar said 458 schools shifted to the self-learning module, 93 to the hybrid or online and self-learning mode and 101 to the dynamic learning mode or online learning program and module based on the needs of the learners.
The school year will end on April 14 and 15 for public schools, he said.
There is no new school calendar for 2025-2026 but based on DepEd Order 9 series of 2024 the opening of classes will be on June 16, but this could still change, Escullar said.*