DepEd set for June 3 classes of 57-K Cordillera students

By Pigeon M. Lobien 

BAGUIO CITY – The Dept. of Education in Cordillera activated on Monday “Oplan Balik Eskwela” to ensure a smooth opening of the school year 2019-2020 for 57,000 learners from pre-school to senior high school in the region tomorrow (June 3). Baguio Division assistant superintendent Soraya Faculo said Tuesday that a help desk has been set up at their office to cater to needs of enrollees or their parents in time for the school opening. She said enrollment has started in 67 public schools of the city.

This as the Brigada Eskwela, a community program by teachers, nonteaching school personnel, parents and volunteers to help provide a better learning environment for school children, is still ongoing to prepare the classrooms and facilities on opening day.

 Faculo said training to upgrade skills of their 2,116 public school teachers is still ongoing as part of their capacity building enhancement program. “The teachers are being trained in the different subject areas,” she said.

Faculo said the DepEd has come up with the Oplan Balik Eskwela done usually a week before school opening, to address problems and would-be issues that may be encountered on opening day.

“The Oplan Balik Eskwela is aimed to address issues of schools and parents on the opening of classes like kindergarten age requirement, ALS registration,” said Faculo. She said the “ALS” or alternative learning system is a parallel learning system that provides a practical option to the existing formal instruction for students who do not have access to formal education.

 This allows the out-of-school youth (OSY) to still be able to complete a primary and secondary education even if they do not attend the regular school. The DepEd came up with the ALS to aid the OSY and provide an opportunity for them enter college after passing the ALS assessment and examination, giving the eligibility to acquire an elementary and or a high school certificate of completion Outgoing mayor Mauricio Domogan has also directed the Baguio City Police Office to have a strong presence in the different schools.

The city information office also reported of the city government’s donation of assorted tools and vegetable seeds to the Division of City Schools for the “Gulayan sa Paaralan” (school garden) last week. The deed of donation signed by Domogan and City Schools Superintendent, Dr. Federico Martin and concurred by the city council saw also the acquisition of an irrigation kit good for 500 square meters farm layout for strawberry to Bilis Sto. Tomas Central Farmers and Livelihood Association.

 The donated equipment will be under the exclusive use of DepEd Baguio Division and the farmers’ group. DepEd-Baguio and the farmers’ group are likewise tasked to submit a monthly activity report to the Agricultural Service Division of the City Veterinary Office.

 Meanwhile, this year’s “Brigada Eskwela in the Cordillera” was not just about preparing classrooms for the opening of classes on June 3, but will also make sure that the schools are safe and disaster-ready, a regional education official said.

 “It’s preparing our schools — the physical facilities — to be disaster-resilient,” said Georaloy Palao-ay, Department of Education (DepEd) – Cordillera public affairs officer. Palao-ay said the DepEd central office issued a memorandum that mentioned the importance of complying with the “school safety and preparedness guide”, a checklist that public schools must follow to ensure their resilience.

 “That includes school disaster management,” he said, noting that risk reduction and resilience education specifies equipping the schools with first aid kits, flashlights, megaphones and other things necessary during emergencies. Palao-ay said they informed stakeholders of their thrust and donors could help complete the equipment needed to make schools disaster-resilient.

He said the safety audit of all public school infrastructures is continuing because it is up to regional engineers to give the go signal that their facilities are ready for occupancy. Palao-ay explained that in the Cordillera, it is not just the infrastructures that are being checked but the location of the schools itself, considering that they are generally situated in mountainous areas.

 “We cannot do anything more for the schools if they are already put up in danger and hazard zones but engineering measures are trying to be put in place as a remedy to the situation,” he added. He also said that the DepEd and Dept. of Public Works and Highways are closely coordinating regarding structures that are still to be constructed.

 He noted that following the natural calamities that hit the Cordillera recently, the department has called for stricter design standards that meet the needs of the region’s topography to assure that they are resilient. Palao-ay also said that the central office has advised its divisions to coordinate with local engineering offices for the assessment of the safety of the structures.

 As of posting, the regional office of the DepEd has not received information on any school building being condemned. Palao-ay said that ensuring the safety of the school buildings is part of the 2019 Brigada Eskwela that was launched on May 20 nationwide.

 “Ifugao, Mountain Province, and Kalinga have started much earlier as part of their preparing the schools for the election. In Baguio, so far so good,” he added. — PNA