HOUSE Committee on Basic Education and Culture Chairperson Roman Romulo stressed the need to retrofit school classrooms to be more climate-resilient.

Romulo said the Department of Education, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and other concerned government agencies should discuss the design of classrooms that would be ideal during the dry and rainy seasons.

At the same time, Romulo reiterated that there is a need for the gradual return of the June-March school calendar in order to mitigate the impact of the scorching weather to students and teachers.

“This is for the simple reason na hindi handa ang classrooms natin. We don’t have enough classrooms, even the existing classrooms, hindi siya weather-resistant. Hindi niya kaya ‘yung init kasi ‘yung pagka-design sa kanya ay medyo mainit talaga,” Romulo said.

Meanwhile, the solon admitted that he does not expect classrooms to be made climate-ready anytime soon, as he hasn’t seen any design submitted yet.

“Siguro for the peace of mind and mental wellness of our teachers and students and their parents, ibalik natin gradually sa old calendar. But moving forward, kailangan ‘yung mga itatayong classrooms, kahit papaano ‘yung disenyo niya, may ventilation dapat na maayos,” he added.