Marcos Pushes for Clearer, Faster Class Suspension System Amid Unpredictable Weather

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed concerned government agencies to speed up the development of clearer guidelines for announcing class suspensions and resumptions as unpredictable weather continues to affect schools across the country.

Malacañang said the proposed system aims to prevent confusion among parents, learners, schools, and local officials over whether classes should proceed or be suspended when weather conditions suddenly change.

During a Palace briefing on September 17, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the government is studying how class suspension announcements can be made more timely and coordinated.

According to Castro, rapidly changing weather has made decision-making more difficult. There are instances when classes are suspended because of an advisory but conditions later improve, while heavy rain may also suddenly occur even when classes have been allowed to continue.

One proposal being considered is to give local government units a central role in making suspension decisions while ensuring that announcements are properly coordinated with the Department of Education (DepEd) and aligned with weather warning levels.

Castro said clearer coordination is necessary to avoid conflicting announcements from mayors, governors, local governments, and DepEd.

The President has asked officials to expedite the guidelines because delayed or unclear announcements directly affect students and parents who need to decide whether it is safe to travel to school.

Class Suspensions and Learning Loss

The push for a more responsive suspension system comes as the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) raised concerns about the learning impact of widespread or blanket class cancellations.

In a policy note released September 15, EDCOM 2 reported that a typical public elementary school lost around 20 teaching days to hazard-related class suspensions during School Year 2025–2026, equivalent to roughly one out of every ten school days.

Preliminary findings from research involving more than 37,000 public elementary schools also associated class suspensions with learning losses in early-grade reading. The study estimated that each suspended school day was associated with approximately 1.4 days of reading progress lost among learners.

EDCOM 2 stressed, however, that the findings should not be interpreted as a reason to continue classes when students and teachers face genuine danger. Instead, the commission said suspension decisions should become more localized and data-driven so that schools facing unsafe conditions can close while those in unaffected areas may remain open or resume classes sooner.

The proposed government guidelines are expected to address this balance—protecting learners and school personnel during hazardous conditions while providing families with clearer, faster, and more consistent information on class suspensions and resumptions.