24 hours after the establishment of Task Force Yolanda, the Department of Education (DepEd) has announced the status of the division offices affected by the typhoon. All divisions in regions 4A (Calabarzon), 4B (Mimaropa), 5 (Bicol), 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas), 10 (Northern Mindanao), 13 (Caraga), and the National Capital Region are considered operational and are now tasked with contacting the various districts and schools under their supervision to determine their status.
Region 8 (Eastern Visayas), which bore the brunt of Yolanda, remains the most severely affected, with only four (4) out of 13 divisions operational. Ormoc City and Western Samar divisions remain closed, while no reliable communication lines have been established with the divisions of Baybay City, Biliran, Borongan City, Eastern Samar, Catbalogan City, Leyte Province, and Tacloban City.
Eastern Visayas has a total of 4,132 public schools manned by 58,179 teachers and a student population of 1,107,367. Resumption of classes is determined by the division superintendent in coordination with local government officials. School heads have also been given authority to suspend classes in damaged schools until the structures have been properly assessed and cleared by DepEd or LGU engineers.
