THE DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) - Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has admitted that there are still not enough classrooms and teachers for senior high school students in the Cordilleras.
In the weekly “Kapihan sa Baguio,” DepEd CAR officer-in-charge May Eclar explained that the cost of building additional facilities for the senior high school is higher in the Cordilleras.
"In the first batches of our senior high school, DepEd Cordillera saw the problem of a standard costing of our SHS across the country which compared to the lowlands, Cordilleras terrain is very different in terms of the costing of transport of materials and the construction of a building," Eclar said.
Eclar said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which is tasked to construct the additional classrooms, did not consider the cost of construction in the region although it has been making cost adjustments for the region.
"Based on this experience, studies have proven the need for additional funding for the classroom building program in the Cordilleras and other similar areas, which have been placed in the 2018-2019 budget of the department," Eclar stated.
Included in the project cost is the cost of transportation, materials and soil testing analysis
Eclar also admitted the lack of teachers, saying there is only one teacher for every 91 senior high students.
"The present 1:91 teacher to student ratio in the senior high level is brought about by the shortage of specialized teachers for this level which needs a graduate teacher having a specialized degree like accountancy, skills, engineering, mathematics among other specialization," she said.
DepEd is looking into the possibility of having a partnership with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in the region to tap graduates with specialized knowledge.
"This is the next partnership which we are looking forward to with CHED so as to answer the need for specialized teachers for the senior high," Eclar added.