Mayor Michael Rama ordered public school administrators here to modify class hours in response to the increasing heat index.

Rama ordered that all morning classes be held from 6 a.m. to 12 noon, while noon and evening classes will start at 4 p.m. and should end at 9 p.m.

Rama’s Executive Order directed all public elementary, and high schools, colleges, universities and graduate schools to “adopt and strictly implement modified school hours” to protect students and educators from the extreme weather conditions.

“No physical or face-to-face classes shall be conducted within the period between 12 noon to 4 p.m.,” he said.

The mayor also reminded all public schools to maintain their respective facilities well-lit and ventilated and sanitation-equipped, even as he stressed the need to set up water stations accessible to the learners.

The schools are also told to continuously monitor the temperature.

Private schools have the discretion whether to adopt or not the modified school hours, he said.

The observance and strict implementation of the modified school hours shall be automatically lifted once the heat index and temperature stabilize within the normal range, the order added.

Meanwhile, the provincial government has suspended in-person classes in public schools due to a high heat index “until further notice”. (PNA)