Hayo, Hinay, Hinga, Hinto: what DepEd’s 4H levels mean
When classes are disrupted, your school tells you which of four levels it is at. Here is what each one means for you.
The four levels
DepEd uses the 4H levels for every kind of emergency: typhoons, floods, earthquakes and extreme heat (DepEd Order No. 14, s. 2026). Your school head decides the level from what is really happening to learners, teachers and the school.
Hayo · Continue
Regular classes at school.
Classes and lessons go on as usual, with heat safety: drinking water, hydration breaks, ventilated classrooms, and outdoor activities moved to cooler times of the day.
Tuloy ang klase sa paaralan.
Hinay · Ease-in
Shorter hours at school, or learning at home.
Your school may shorten the day (for example 6 to 10 a.m., or 2 to 6 p.m.), mix school and home learning, or move learning home with modules, online classes or DepEd TV and radio. Lessons slow down and there are fewer subjects a day.
May klase pa rin pero mas maikli ang oras, o sa bahay mag-aaral.
Hinga · Check-in
No classes at school; light learning at home.
Light tasks and learning packets, DepEd TV or radio lessons, and check-ins on how you are doing. Lessons review what you already learned, and quizzes are optional and low-stakes.
Walang pasok sa paaralan; magagaan na gawain sa bahay at kumustahan.
Hinto · Stop
No classes and no schoolwork, at school or at home.
All academic activities stop. Your school keeps in touch to check that you are safe, and can refer you and your family for help.
Walang klase at walang gawaing pampaaralan, sa paaralan man o sa bahay.
The 4H levels during the Super El Niño
DepEd Memorandum No. 064, s. 2026 ties each level to the heat index: how hot it feels, from the temperature and the humidity together. Schools measure it in classrooms at 8 a.m., 12 noon and 2 p.m., and read it from PAGASA’s heat index chart.
| Heat index | Level and classes |
|---|---|
| Below 27°C | Hayo · ContinueManageable conditionsRegular classes at school. |
| 27°C to 32°C | Hinay · Ease-inCautionShorter hours at school, or learning at home. |
| 33°C to 41°C | Hinga · Check-inExtreme cautionNo classes at school; light learning at home. |
| 42°C and above | Hinto · StopDanger and extreme dangerNo classes and no schoolwork, at school or at home. |
Hot weather alone does not cancel classes. Your school decides from the real conditions in its classrooms and community. If the heat becomes unbearable, the school head may suspend classes even below 42°C, with the Schools Division Superintendent, and move learning home.
Who decides
- Your school head sets your school’s level, with the Schools Division Office. For the Alternative Learning System (ALS), the division’s ALS focal person does.
- Your mayor or governor, or DepEd, can also suspend classes. Your school then sets the level for learning at home.
- Parents or guardians may keep a child home when going to school is not safe for the child’s health, even when classes are not suspended. The child still has to catch up on the lessons.
- Typhoon signals, orange or red rainfall warnings and strong earthquakes suspend classes automatically (DepEd Order No. 22, s. 2024). See when.
What your school must do during the El Niño
- Give you safe drinking water and regular hydration breaks.
- Keep classrooms ventilated, with shade or cooler places to rest.
- Move, shorten or stop tiring activities and outdoor assemblies when it is too hot.
- Give first aid for heat-related illness, and tell your parents if you need medical care.
- Allow light, comfortable clothes, including authorized alternative uniforms.
- Never make your family pay to keep you learning: no required devices, internet load, printouts, drinking water, fans or special clothes.
- Never ask learners to clear dry brush, fight fires or do electrical repairs.
- Prepare learning packets, DepEd TV and radio lessons, and offline materials for learners with weak or no internet.
- After a disruption, give simple, ungraded checks to find out what you need to catch up on.
How long it applies
PAGASA expects the El Niño to peak before the end of 2026 and to last possibly until the first half of 2027. The memo stays in effect until PAGASA’s final advisory announces the end of the 2026–2027 El Niño, unless DepEd replaces it.
Sources
- DepEd Memorandum No. 064, s. 2026, Anticipatory Action, Preparedness, and Protective Measures for the 2026–2027 Super El Niño (26 October 2026)
- DepEd Order No. 14, s. 2026, Guidelines on Learning Continuity in Emergencies
- DepEd Order No. 22, s. 2024, Revised Guidelines on Class and Work Suspension in Schools During Disasters and Emergencies
Read them on DepEd’s website. This page explains them in plain words; it is not a DepEd page. Something wrong?Tell TeacherPH. Checktoday’s list of schools with no classes.