MANILA: As part of intense temperatures in tropical countries, thousands of schools have suspended the in-person classes in the Philipines on Friday, the education department said via CNA news media.
According to the reports, the official figures showed 5,288 schools across the archipelago nation switched to remote learning, affecting more than 3.6 million students.
The months of March, April and May are typically the hottest and driest in the archipelago nation, but conditions have been exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon, it was stated.
However, many schools do not have air conditioning facilities, making students endure learning in poorly ventilated and crowded classrooms.
The Department of Education has issued an advisory giving school heads the power to decide when to switch to remote learning "in cases of extreme heat and other calamities".
It was reported further that some schools have reduced class hours to avoid teaching during the hottest times of the day.
The heat index was expected to reach the "danger" level of 42 degrees Celsius or 43 degrees Celsius in several areas of the country on Friday, the state weather forecaster said.
In Manila, the heat index was forecast to hit the "extreme caution" level of 40 degrees Celsius, when heat cramps and exhaustion are possible.
The country's heat index measures what a temperature feels like, taking into account humidity.
Friday's actual maximum temperature in Manila was 35.5 degrees Celsius.
菲律賓數千所學校因酷熱而暫停面授課程
馬尼拉：菲律賓教育部門透過中央通訊社新聞媒體表示，由於熱帶國家的高溫，菲律賓數千所學校週五暫停了面授課程。
據報道，官方數據顯示，群島國家有 5,288 所學校轉向遠距學習，影響了超過 360 萬名學生。
據稱，三月、四月和五月通常是這個群島國家最熱和最乾燥的月份，但厄爾尼諾天氣現象加劇了情況。
然而，許多學校沒有空調設施，導致學生只能忍受在通風不良、擁擠的教室裡學習。
教育部發布了一項建議，賦予學校校長「在極端高溫和其他災難的情況下」決定何時轉向遠距學習的權力。
據進一步報道，一些學校減少了上課時間，以避免在一天中最熱的時候上課。
該州天氣預報員表示，預計週五該國多個地區的高溫指數將達到攝氏42度或43度的「危險」水平。
在馬尼拉，預計高溫指數將達到 40 攝氏度的「極度謹慎」水平，屆時可能會出現熱痙攣和疲憊不堪的情況。
該國的炎熱指數衡量的是溫度感覺，同時考慮了濕度。
週五馬尼拉實際最高氣溫為攝氏35.5度。
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