Saturday, May 26, 2007 DepEd expects 800-T studes in N. Mindanao By Danilo V. Adorador III
THE Department of Education (DepEd) in Northern Mindanao is expecting over 800,000 students to troop to the 2,238 elementary and high schools all over the region during the June 4 school opening.
The 812,224 public school students that DepEd estimated will attend the first day of classes will however face congested classrooms and other nagging problems confronting the country's public educational system.
The DepEd said there are 2,024 public elementary and 214 secondary schools in Northern Mindanao.
Based on the number of expected enrollees, public elementary schools face a shortage of 517 classrooms, and 996 for secondary schools.
Because it has lower number of schools, classroom shortage is felt more in the secondary education, with the classroom-student ratio expected to reach 1:68, or higher, said Imelda Caminero, education program specialist at DepEd-Northern Mindanao.
Classroom-student ratio for elementary schools, meanwhile, is expected to be maintained at an ideal 1:35 to 1:45, said Caminero.
Faculty shortage also poses another major problem, with the region's secondary schools lacking 620 teachers and elementary schools lacking 93.
As if that's not enough, students may also find themselves standing or, sitting on the floors, as public schools face an undersupply of armchairs.
The DepEd-Northern Mindanao said it was still needing 110,710 armchairs for elementary pupils and 53,447 for high school students.
The regional DepEd office early this week launched the Brigada Eskwela, an undertaking where parents and teachers themselves clean and conduct minor repairs in schools for the June 4 opening of classes.
