Temperatures reaching over 44 degrees Celsius forced 7,000 public schools in the Philippines to switch to online learning.
March, April and May are usually the hottest and driest months in the Philippines but this year is exacerbated by the El Nino phenomenon. The country’s meteorological agency has recorded daily temperatures up to 44 degrees Celsius in recent days, including the capital Manila. Some areas reached 47-48 degrees Celsius such as Cavite and Cagayan provinces.
Meanwhile, schools in areas with a large population of low-income people are often not equipped with adequate cooling systems.
ACT-NCR, a teachers’ association in the capital Manila, last month surveyed 8,000 teachers about heat conditions. 46% said the classroom only has one or two electric fans. More than three-quarters of teachers described the heat as “unbearable”. Additionally, 87% of their students suffered from heat-related symptoms.
“Some students even collapsed in class,” said Ruby Bernardo, representative of ACT-NCR.
This situation forced 7,000 schools to switch to online learning last week.
Fourth grade students study online at home in Quezon City, Philippines, on April 5. Image: Xinhua
However, even when students stay at home, the situation does not get better. Erlinda Alfonso, a teacher at a public elementary school in Quezon City, near the capital Manila, said many students said it was hotter at home and preferred to go to school.
These children live in slums and do not have computers or internet to study online. Teachers are forced to assign homework directly to students. But if they don’t understand the lesson, they won’t know who to ask because their relatives all work.
Extreme weather in the Philippines raises concerns of deepening educational inequality. This was already revealed during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the country had the longest school closures in the world.
The heat in recent days has also scorched many other areas in South and Southeast Asia. On April 24, Thai authorities issued a warning in Bangkok, urging people to stay indoors to ensure safety as temperatures skyrocket.
Bangladesh also closed many schools across the country. The weather forecaster said temperatures last week were 4 to 5 degrees Celsius higher than the average over the past 30 years.
In Singapore, primary and secondary schools allow students to wear gym uniforms to school, to ensure comfort. This type of uniform is often thinner and more sweat-absorbent, helping the body cool down quickly. The country’s Ministry of Education late last month asked schools to minimize outdoor activities and reminded students to drink plenty of water.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), about 243 million children in Asia and the Pacific are expected to suffer heat waves in the next few months. Children are especially susceptible to heatstroke, and prolonged exposure to high temperatures will affect their ability to learn.
The United Nations World Meteorological Organization says Asia is warming at a particularly fast rate. Last year’s temperature on the continent was nearly 2 degrees Celsius higher than the global average from 1961 to 1990.
Dawn (According to Reuters, AFP)
