35 school days lost in disaster-hit areas

As many as 35 school days have been lost in some areas in the country due to the impact of storms and other natural disasters, the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday, as it announced the rollout of remedial measures to help students cope with class disruptions.

- NEIL JAYSON SERVALLOS

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has lost 35 school days—the highest number of class disruptions nationwide—due to natural disasters and calamities.

DepEd data showed that Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Region, Calabarzon and Central Luzon all lost 29 school days, with a few class disruptions caused by man-made hazards such as fire.

Meanwhile, 239 schools across the country have been marked "very high risk" to further learning losses due to how frequent natural hazards hit the areas.

Angara said the schools that were severely damaged displaced 377,729 students during natural calamities this year.

Additionally, 4,771 schools with 3,865,903 learners have been categorized as "high risk."