The Department of Education (DepEd) rolled out its disaster risk platform, Project LIGTAS+, on Friday to assist schools prepare for natural calamities and forestall academic disruptions.
“Education is essentially the most reliable ladder out of poverty. When a disaster strikes, that ladder shouldn’t break,” Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara said in a news release.
“We’re fulfilling President Bongbong Marcos’ mandate to make use of innovation not only for safety, but for stability,” he added.
The agency said Project LIGTAS+, which stands for Learning Institution Geohazard Tracking and Assessment for Safety, goals to guard students from class disruptions brought on by natural disasters.
“We’re moving away from guesswork and toward a future where data ensures that no child’s education is washed away by a storm,” Mr. Angara said.
Data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) showed that the country lost 53 school days in 2023 to 2024. Nearly all of which were lost attributable to high heat indices during April/May and typhoons.
Through the platform, schools would have the ability to receive school-specific risk profiles in real time by utilizing geospatial analytics, satellite imagery, and historical hazard data.
Other features of the platform include an interactive multi-hazard map, flood intelligence powered by satellite SAR data, earthquake impact assessments, volcanic activity monitoring, and AI-powered weather forecasts as much as 10 days prematurely.
DepEd noted that the platform would also help discover which specific schools inside a locality are in danger and which may safely remain open during calamities. Meanwhile, teachers and faculty personnel can have early warnings for extreme heat and landslides.
“Project LIGTAS+ is designed to generate granular hazard views, enabling decision-makers to maneuver beyond broad assumptions and toward more context-specific motion,” the agency said in a news release.
“Project LIGTAS+ goals to offer every parent peace of mind, knowing their children are protected by a system that’s at all times one step ahead of the subsequent disaster, ensuring that the trail out of poverty stays open even within the face of nature’s uncertainty,” it added.
Project LIGTAS+ is currently in its pilot implementation phase and is designed to support DepEd’s long-term planning around school infrastructure and resource prioritization. — Almira Louise S. Martinez