The weather is 44 degrees Celsius, 7,000 public schools in the Philippines are offering online learning

According to Reuters, 7,000 public schools in the Philippines switched to online learning last week, due to unusual heat in many areas.

This comes from the fact that most schools in places with large low-income populations in the Philippines are not equipped with adequate cooling systems.

A survey conducted by ACT-NCR, a teachers’ association in the Manila metropolitan area, showed that nearly 46% of the 8,000 teachers surveyed confirmed that their classrooms only had one or two electric fans, no electric fans. enough to cool in harsh weather.

In addition, more than 75% of teachers believe that the current heat is “unbearable” and 87% of students have suffered from heat-related symptoms in recent days.

ACT-NCR spokesperson Ruby Bernardo shared: “The heat has had a big impact on children. Many students have fainted in class. Teachers also struggle with the heat, but they often prioritize their health.” of students in the classroom”.

Since the El Nino phenomenon began until now, the Philippine meteorological agency has continuously recorded daily high temperatures of up to 44 degrees Celsius. The situation has not tended to improve, forcing schools to decide for students to study at home.

However, according to Ms. Erlindo Alfonso – leader of the teachers’ association in Quezon City, staying at home is not any better for students.

“Many students have told me they want to go to school because the heat is worse than being at home,” she said. In addition, many of her students live in slums where there is no Internet connection. This makes online learning impossible.

Although she has tried to give students who cannot study online homework to do at home, Ms. Alfonso still emphasized that these students will have no one to guide them until schools reopen.

The situation is even more worrying when these students often have to stay home alone because their relatives have to work to earn money, Ms. Alfonso said.