DepEd Reports Minimal School Openings Delay Nationwide Despite Recent Typhoons

CAVITE – Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara announced that only about two percent of basic education schools in the Philippines delayed opening for the 2024-2025 school year due to the impacts of Typhoon Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon.

According to Philippines News Agency, During an ambush interview at Carmona National High School, Angara emphasized that the affected 842 schools represent a small fraction of the total, ensuring that 98 percent of schools commenced as scheduled. The regions most affected include Region III with 452 schools and the National Capital Region with 225, impacting a total of 803,824 learners. Despite the disruptions, a significant number of students, 19,870,531, were enrolled as of Monday morning across various educational levels. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on Secretary Angara to focus on the well-being and socio-emotional needs of learners amid these climate-related challenges. UNICEF highlighted the risks of missing in-person class days due to expected typhoons and stressed the need for continued support to ensure no child is left behind. Additionally, the Police Regional Office (PRO)-3 (Central Luzon) is closely monitoring the school openings while coordinating relief operations. PRO-
3 chief Brig. Gen. Jose Hidalgo detailed the deployment of approximately 1,000 personnel to enhance security and manage increased vehicular traffic around educational institutions.