CAGAYAN de Oro mCity — The Department of Education in Northern Mindanao is taking steps to recover lost classroom time and address learning gaps while tightening security measures following repeated class disruptions and recent threats to schools.
DepEd-10 Chief Education Supervisor Ricardo Dragon said the agency is prioritizing instructional time while ensuring the safety of learners and school personnel.
“Especially nowadays, we've had a lot of disruptions of classes,” Dragon said during a Sept. 1 multisectoral dialogue on basic sector empowerment.
He said recent security incidents, including shooting incidents, have prompted DepEd and its partners to strengthen school safety measures.
Protecting classroom time
To reduce interruptions caused by sports, journalism competitions and other extracurricular activities, DepEd-10 is implementing a three-term block system.
Under the system, competitive and co-curricular activities are scheduled during breaks between academic terms instead of taking up regular school days.
Dragon said the move is intended to protect students’ contact time with teachers as schools work to close learning gaps, particularly in reading comprehension and numeracy.
“DepEd has been implementing the three-term blocks so that we do not compromise the weekdays for activities like sports and other competitions that hamper the contact time,” he said.
DepEd-10 is also implementing the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, which provides targeted tutoring for learners who need additional support.
The program particularly assists students entering secondary school who lack basic competencies needed for their grade level.
Schools tighten security
DepEd-10 is also implementing DepEd Order No. 6, series of 2026, which sets guidelines for maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment.
Among the measures are multi-level bag inspections by authorized personnel at school entrances and by class advisers before learners enter classrooms.
The order also restricts unauthorized cellphone use by students during class hours.
DepEd-10 is working with local government units and police units to deploy additional security personnel and screeners in school campuses.
For parents and learners, the measures mean tighter entry procedures and closer coordination among schools, local authorities and security agencies as classes continue amid safety concerns.
DepEd-10 said the measures are intended to ensure that students can return to learning while schools address both lost instructional time and security risks.
(With a report from RMND/PIA-10)
