ELEVEN-year-old Mery Grace Rioyan hurriedly went back to school on Monday after a week-long vacation following a class suspension in Busay Elementary School.
“Excited ko moskwela balik kay bag-o pa gani nagsugod ang klasi unya kami wa na dayo’y klasi tungod sa among skwelahan (I was excited to go to school since it just started, but instead there was no class),” Rioyan told Sun.Star Cebu.
Rioyan is attending the afternoon class session as a Grade 6 pupil while the school is currently holding emergency classes. Her class starts at 12 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m.
“Lipay ko kay klasi na unya naa na sad mi makat-onan (I’m happy classes are here and I will learn something),” Rioyan said.
Suspended classes
Last week, Mayor Michael Rama ordered the school administration of Busay to suspend its classes after the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)-Central Visayas revealed that the site where the old school school stands was landslide-prone.
Rama did not want to compromise the safety of the students and immediately ordered a relocation of the classes.
Considering the risk posed by the school’s location, which is on a cliff near a river, the City used the Busay gym for the classes in the meantime.
The school administration, barangay and City officials inaugurated the temporary facility where teachers can hold classes.
Rama said the school will use the gym while the Local School Board is doing the negotiations to buy a relocation lot.
Rooms
The makeshift school has eight classrooms to cater to 16 classes of the Busay Elementary School and a principal’s office.
Since the location of the gym is still part of the danger zone, the City already strengthened the retaining wall beside the gym.
“Ganahan ra ko sa among bag-ong skwelahan kay duol ra sa dalan (I like our new school since it’s just beside the road),” Rioyan said.
From her house to Sitio Maaslom, Rioyan no longer needs to walk more than a kilometer to reach the school.
“Sauna sa karaan namo nga skwelahan kay lugsungon kaayo kung padung mi sa skwelahan unya tungason sad kung padung mi uli (In the old school before, I need to walk through steep paths),” Rioyan said.
With six books and 12 notebooks inside her bag, Rioyan said a school nearer the main road is better.
Busay school principal Pamela Oliva said she already told all her teachers to be extra watchful for their students since the works are ongoing in the area.
As the rainy season starts, Oliva said that with the new facility, the school will no longer have to cancel its classes. (RVC)