STARTING next school year, pupils of the close to 70 public elementary schools in Cebu City will have the same set of school uniforms.
Mayor Edgardo Labella on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, said they already have the design for the proposed school uniform, which will be subjected to a public bidding.
Based on the City Government’s latest data, around 190,000 kindergarten to Grade 6 pupils will each receive a set of school uniform, which will consist of three polos and two pairs of pants (boys) and two skirts and three blouses (girls).
Aside from the school uniforms, the City Government will also provide feeding programs, bags and school shoes to public school elementary pupils.
Earlier, Labella said P500 million will be allocated for the project under the 2020 annual budget.
Of the amount, P350 million will cover the expenses for the school supplies, uniforms and shoes.
The remaining P150 million, on the other hand, will cover the feeding program.
This will be the first time that the City Government will provide free uniforms, bags, shoes and a feeding program in Cebu City public elementary schools.
While campaigning for his mayoralty bid in the May 2019 elections, Labella said he noticed that there were many children of school age, especially from depressed areas, that are not able to go to elementary schools because of poverty.
With the program, Labella said parents will no longer have reasons not to send their children to school.
“We will make it mandatory for parents to send their children in the elementary school,” Labella said.
The program is under City Ordinance 2543, which provides for annual free school supplies to all public elementary schools in the city and appropriating funds therefor. It was authored by Councilors Raymond Alvin Garcia and Raul Alcoseba.
A ceremonial signing of the ordinance was held on Nov. 26, 2019 between the mayor and Vice Mayor Michael Rama with all the city councilors as witnesses. (Mae Fhel Gom-os, USJ-R Journ Intern)