MANILA —A teachers' group said on Sunday that class suspensions due to the extreme heat should only be the last resort because the students would be the one getting the short end of the stick.

This, after several areas in the country suspended face-to-face classes in the past few days due to the forecasted high heat index in the country.

"'Yung kanselasyon ng face-to-face classes ay sana ito 'yung last resort kasi talong-talo talaga 'yung mga bata doon e," Benjo Basas, chairperson of the Teachers' Dignity Coalition (TDC) said in an interview with TeleRadyo Serbisyo's Story Outlook.

"Kahit pa sabihin nating maiksing oras 'yung ibibigay natin [sa pagpasok,] mayroong interaksyon dyan ang teacher at ang bata at umi-impact siya nang mabuti kasi mabibigay [ng teacher] 'yung mga dapat na [matutunan]," he added.

Basas also said that TDC has approached San Juan City Mayor and Metro Manila Council President Francis Zamora for a unified approach of public schools in the capital on dealing with the high heat index.

Currently, the Department of Education (DepEd) has implemented a 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. class, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. asynchronous learning, and a continuation of face-to-face classes, albeit another batch, at 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

DepEd's approach was modeled after Zamora's executive order in San Juan City wherein face-to-face classes may only be held from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. gap was implemented so that teachers and students alike are not outside of their homes during peak high heat hours.