MANILA — The Department of Education (DepEd) announced on Friday that 738 schools will delay the start of the 2024-2025 school year, originally scheduled for July 29, due to damages from the enhanced southwest monsoon and Super Typhoon Carina.
According to Philippines News Agency, the affected schools include 442 in Central Luzon, 206 in the National Capital Region, 86 in the Cordillera Administrative Region, and four in Cotabato. The municipalities of Marikina and Valenzuela have already rescheduled the opening of all local public and private schools to August 5. This postponement affects a significant portion of the 12,866 schools impacted across multiple regions including Metro Manila, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, and Eastern Visayas.
Despite these setbacks, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara encouraged schools unaffected by the typhoon to commence classes as planned to avoid further learning disruptions. "We cannot afford a massive postponement; the threat of learning loss is too significant, especially if another typhoon were to hit soon," he stated during a press conference. Angara also confirmed that makeup classes would be scheduled to compensate for the delayed start in affected areas.
The Department of Budget and Management has assured that DepEd's PHP3.2 billion Quick Response Fund and National Indemnity Insurance Program are available to support repairs in the 132,862 school buildings affected by the recent severe weather.