|
Friday, July 01, 2005
Guv: More schoolrooms needed
By Marna H. Dagumboy
FLORIDABLANCA -- The Provincial Government of Pampanga is eyeing for an P800 million loan from the Japan International Credit Agency (Jica) for the construction and rehabilitation of classrooms in various public schools in the province.
Governor Mark T. Lapid said the provincial school board is set to seek a loan from the Jica in order to address the shortage of classrooms in the province.
Lapid said aside from the loan, the school board had also requested President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Senator Lito Lapid for additional funds for such a purpose.
At present, a total of 566 classrooms are needed all over the province - 433 of which will be occupied by elementary pupils and 83 for high school students.
Last Tuesday, the ceiling of one of the classrooms at the Bodega Elementary School here had collapsed, displacing a total of 173 students.
The incident was found to have been brought about by termite infestation of the room's rafters.
A report said the ridge beam of the classroom collapsed around 8 p.m. Tuesday. The beams were found to have been eaten by termites.
For fear of the children's safety, school officials have suspended other classes from grades 1 to 5 last Wednesday.
The Pampanga governor, upon hearing of the incident, immediately visited the school. He instructed the Provincial Disaster and Coordinating Council (PDCC) to rehabilitate the affected classroom and make inspections in the whole school to prevent a recurrence of the incident.
Lapid said the school board had decided to prioritize the rehabilitation of the classrooms in Barangay Bodega in the town because students have been holding their classes under a mango tree since the incident.
School officials also said they would be forced to suspend classes every time it rains, because of lack of classrooms.
A few weeks back, several freshman students of the Pampanga High School (PHS) were injured after the wooden flooring of one of the school's oldest buildings collapsed.
(July 1, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
