Our weather patterns have changed so dramatically that its turbulent behavior pose serious threats to the lives our people. Rains, floods, landslides and storm surges are everywhere. One moment, the sky and seas are calm, the other day, they’re not. Situations are most of the time rendered helpless when massive destruction to properties and lost lives hit our headlines. People relocate from one safe place to another affecting their health, livelihood and education.
If you think calamity preparations are already dreadful, you’ll see, twice as much is the aftermath.
When a storm signal no. 5 hit Northern Luzon, we are helpless. Worse, it’s shocking how we experienced unprecedented phenomena during the height of Ondoy and Yolanda which were grave enough to almost eradicate a whole city and take thousands of lives.
Every school year students are very much affected with these sudden changes which keep on recurring in our environment. Concerns are less for the inconvenience brought by heavy traffic in busy and flooded streets but all the more in life-and-death circumstances for millions including the students at all levels.
Rural and urban areas are both affected by this situation. Take the rainy first day of school and the series of class suspensions as an example. Primary and secondary levels were able to experience unanticipated weather conditions. Schools are flooded, learning materials become useless and facilities are destroyed. In some municipalities, schools are even used as evacuation centers to accommodate affected families and are continuously used until the situation becomes under control.
In recent years, there had been warm debates on the proposed calendar shifting of schools from June to July or early August. Some universities and state colleges have already taken steps to implement such. However, a larger number of schools especially in elementary and high school are still looking into the proposal.
Indeed, there is really much to argue before when weather patterns are still predictable and August can be considered a safe month to start the school year. But things have already changed. As we try to learn and be more prepared for every calamity hitting our nation, the environment also changes more dramatically. Storms are expected within the whole year and their strength are unpredictable.
Educational institutions and other government units should pay close attention in the need for new measures on how to handle unexpected situations as such. The general welfare of the people, primarily the students should be their main concern above anything else.
By: Lourdes L. Manguiob | Teacher III | Samal National High School
