Philippine students are learning about climate change the hard way amid a scorching heatwave that has seen temperatures hit 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit), prompting authorities to suspend in-person classes in thousands of schools in April.

Schools closed, warnings issued as Asia swelters in extreme heatwave
Philippines to endure extreme heat until mid-May
Heat index remains at dangerous levels in several areas of PH

Sweltering in classrooms under unbearably hot conditions, students at a Manila school have had to resort to using notebooks and even make-shift fans made out of cardboard to cool themselves down.

"It is extremely hot now. The heat burns my skin, it's not like the usual (summer) heat," said 23-year-old student Kirt Mahusay.

Temperatures have hit 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in various regions in the Philippines, as the weather phenomenon El Nino intensifies the heat enveloping the nation in its summer months of March to May. Schools have been suspended up until Tuesday (April 30), authorities said.

High school teacher Media Santos said the intense heat has made teaching all the more challenging.

"When the temperature is really high my blood pressure shoots up. I have to make sure that I take my medicine everyday," said Santos. "Because of the extreme heat my back gets soaked with sweat and sometimes I get very dizzy."

The unrelenting heat is not expected to dissipate and has a 50 percent chance of intensifying in the coming days, according to local media.

Students and teachers are worried about the learning loss they face, especially in poverty-stricken areas where access to gadgets and the internet can be testing.

“In our house, that is the only place with internet connection but I couldn’t focus because I get dizzy (from the heat),” said 20-year-old student Esmaira Solaiman after an online class.

According to Save the Children Philippines, young adolescents are the most vulnerable to heat, as studies show their bodies have a lower ability to cope with high temperatures compared to adults.

When exposed to extreme heat for long periods of time, children are likely to suffer from heat-related illnesses characterised by headaches, dizziness, vomiting, and even fainting.

“There is a survey by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers in NCR (National Capital Region) that 87% of learners have difficulty concentrating, so that would paint a picture of how it is inside the classroom, how children are not really learning as expected at their grade levels.” said Xerxes Castro, Basic Education Advisor of Save the Children Philippines.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Philippine authorities adjusted the academic calendar year, shifting it to run from August till May.

Shifting it back to the pre-pandemic schedule of June to March would be a welcome change for students and schools, said Castro.

"It will be more hot during the coming month of May," he said. "We're seeing an average of more than 52 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit), so you could imagine how stressful that would be for learners."

Already, Philippine students are facing learning setbacks with math, science and reading scores among the lowest in the world, according to the Program for International Student Assessment's (PISA) rankings in 2022.

The student assessment conducted by PISA, which was created by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), ranked the Philippines 77th out of 81 participating countries globally.

(Production: Adrian Portugal, Jay Ereno)