Sunday, February 04, 2007 Education chief seeks help for repair of typhoon-hit schools
EDUCATION Secretary Jesli Lapus asked the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines (Pmap) to help repair the school buildings destroyed by the series of super typhoons that hit the country recently.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is faced with the setback of having to raise the huge amount needed to repair the school buildings affected by the devastations. In the province of Albay alone, the estimated cost of damage is P688 million.
"And while we have released P116 million and another P82 million is to be released from the supplemental budget, we still need close to P490 million to repair these schools. The estimated cost of repairs of damaged schools nationwide is over P3 billion. The budget of the DepEd does not include any provision for the repair of these schools. This is the challenge before us," Lapus explained.
He asked the Pmap to help by contributing to the effort to raise funds for the repair of the damaged schools. He believed that the involvement of various groups in the rehabilitation of the typhoon ravaged schools would show that the effective management of resources can result in the attainment of the department's laudable objectives.
Lapus said the support accorded to education includes no less than the attention given by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who has made education a top national agenda.
Congress has also given its support through unprecedented allocations in the supplemental budget and the recently passed 2007 budget. The League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) has also responded by placing education on top of its corporate social responsibility agenda. But despite these endowments, the recent devastations have made the problem critical and seemingly insurmountable.
Lapus said through the results-driven management of resources and with the support of Pmap and all sectors of society, the crisis can be overcome.
The education secretary also emphasized the need to meet the challenges brought about by technology as it changes the way of life of Filipinos. "Proof of the benefits we derive from technology is the growth of our own outsourcing industry," he said.
"We have to respond to these challenges if we are to remain globally competitive in the coming years, and this begins with providing quality education," he stressed.
"The need for better education is critical to our capability to provide better opportunities for our people, especially the young. Our ability to prosper depends so much on our ability to educate our people especially the young as we respond to the needs of the global community," he added.
The repair of the school buildings and the resolution of the issues facing technology in the country are high priority concerns for Lapus.
One program addressing these concerns is the training on computers for technical-vocational (tech-voc) teachers that the DepEd is undertaking in collaboration with the Meralco Foundation.
The program has been designed so that teachers are well-equipped in teaching tech-voc students. It is part of the capacity building program Lapus is pushing to ensure sustainability of students' improved learning outcomes and the attainment of better quality education for all. (Press release)
