THE UNIVERSITY has implemented revisions to its class suspension protocols in step with the changes to the Department of Education’s (DepEd) guidelines, with classes at all levels now proceeding when Signal No. 1 is raised over Manila.
In an Office of the Secretary General (OSG) circular dated Jan. 27, UST outlined its updated inclement weather protocols, which followed the DepEd’s new class suspension guidelines for disasters and emergencies.
Under the new DepEd rules, only kindergarten classes will be suspended if Signal No. 1 is declared over the school’s locality.
In-person classes at the Junior High School (JHS) level will be suspended under Signal No. 2. Schools are advised by the DepEd to implement distance learning, performance tasks, projects, or make-up classes to ensure class days and requirements are met.
Under Signal No. 2, in-person classes at the Senior High School (SHS) and tertiary levels will shift to online synchronous and asynchronous classes.
Classes in all levels will be suspended under Signal No. 3 or above.
If face-to-face classes are suspended after they have commenced, Thomasians will be permitted to stay on campus for up to three hours in consideration of heavy vehicular and foot traffic.
In the absence of a typhoon signal or any class suspension, the OSG said classes will proceed as scheduled, “guided by the principles of dialogue, flexibility, and accessibility.”
These updated protocols mark a significant change from UST’s previous class suspension rules, where classes up to SHS were suspended under Signal No. 1. This was stipulated in DepEd Order 37 released in 2022, which UST adopted only in July 2024.
Previously, JHS and SHS classes were already suspended under Signal No. 1 and instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels were called off under Signal No. 3. UST had reserved discretion to suspend classes during Signal No. 2 in the old guidelines.
READ: UST revises inclement weather protocols: JHS, SHS classes suspended at Signal No. 1
DepEd released its new class suspension rules for disasters and emergencies in December.
In November, Education Secretary Sonny Angara ordered a review of the agency’s policy on class suspensions during typhoons to prevent further increases in the number of school days lost.
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At least 12 school days in UST have been disrupted by inclement weather in Academic Year 2024-2025.
