THE Department of Education (DepEd) warned public schools that classes should promptly start today, instead of having the students clean their classrooms.
“It’s a wrong notion that students are made to clean their classrooms on their first and second days of class. This is why we encourage our teachers to prepare their classrooms before the start of class,” said Education Supervisor Flordeliza Sambrano.
She will monitor schools to identify problems that DepEd can directly address.
In Cebu City, school gates and classrooms were opened as early as last Saturday, with teachers and students busy cleaning away the accumulated dust in classrooms and campaign materials left in the school premises.
“The next thing they have to do is to see what problems crop up, especially for those in grade one or the other new students,” said Cebu City Hall education consultant Joy Augustus Young.
“Kon unsa’y kinahanglang buhaton, suhito na man sila, (Whatever they need to do) they are more or less able to cope already. I don’t expect a lot of problems,” Young said.
Last-minute
Dr. Lorna Rances, Cebu City schools division superintendent, said in a separate interview that the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Brigada Eskwela last month helped schools prepare.
Brigada Eskwela is a concerted effort of the teachers, the parents and the community to clean and repair school buildings.
Repairs, though, have been ongoing all year-round, Young said, and are not merely done when class opening draws near.
Also, Rances said that schools were told to distribute the textbooks to students before the start of classes.
But it could not be avoided that there are those who are still doing physical inventories and have not yet handed out the books.
She said they also expect late enrollees and “last-minute transferees” to be the ones to disturb the regular schedules in schools.
She added that instead of the individual teachers, the school principals can handle the late enrollees and transferees’ registration.
Price watch
At City Hall, City Councilor Edgardo Labella asked the Department of Trade and Industry to closely watch school supply retailers and distributors so they will not jack up prices.
He also asked Rances to see to it that principals do not make unauthorized contributions as an enrolment pre-requisite.
Schools still accept late enrollees within the week.
In Mandaue, although late enrollees are expected to come in droves, public schools were told not to entertain them today.
City Schools Division Superintendent Serena Uy said that enrolment was scheduled in the last week of May, and today is the supposed start of regular classes.
She said that if teachers cater to late enrollees, operations on the first day of school would be hampered.
She, however, said late enrollees will be entertained starting tomorrow.
As division supervisor, she will tour schools to check if teachers experience any problem in the handling of classes.
Shortage
Almost all Mandaue barangays have their own public elementary and high schools, which are expected to do a headcount of students to determine if there is a need to open additional sections.
DepEd Regional Director Carolino Mordeno admitted a shortage of teachers and classrooms is the common problem every school year. But he said they are doing their best to cope.
There are ongoing school building constructions, with the Provincial Government donating some 200 classrooms to help address the lack.
But Cebu Province Schools Division Superintendent Recaredo Borgonia said that these are still not enough to comply with the ideal one classroom for every 15 to 48 students.
He said that should the number of enrollees exceed projections, especially in schools in big towns, the libraries and shop buildings can serve as temporary classrooms until additional classrooms are available.
Pledges
Constructing more school buildings is second in DepEd’s list of approved priority programs for implementation in Central Visayas this year.
Education service sub-contracting is fourth; procurement of desks and armchairs, 11th; and repair and maintenance of classrooms and school buildings, 14th.
Specifically, DepEd will allocate P121.9 million to build more school buildings in Central Visayas.
According to DepEd’s Basic Education Information System assessment survey, Cebu Province could get an estimated P53.9 million of the amount, which is yet to be released.
DepEd’s regional office would decide which particular schools will be the recipients and how much they will get.
It takes P443,000 to build a classroom, and at least P3.9 million for a two-story, eight-classroom building.
DepEd Cebu Province also expects some 10,000 armchairs and desks from the Capitol’s school board.
But aside from the lack of classrooms, Borgonia said there may be a shortage of teachers in some schools in the first few weeks of classes.
That is because contractual teachers whom local government units hired still have to renew their job contracts.
“For the meantime, special teachers will substitute for them until they are ready. They include first aid teachers, guidance counselors, and property administrators, among others,” he told Sun.Star in a telephone interview.
“We also hope to have 200 new teachers for the province from over 10,000 teachers to be hired nationwide,” he added. (NRC/RHM/AAG)
