Probe on Brigada Eskwela school collections ongoing

By Dexter A. See 

BAGUIO CITY — The Division of City Schools of the Dept. of Education is now investigating reports on mandatory collections done by some school officials in the city during the week-long Brigada Eskwela reportedly in violation of regulations governing conduct of the annual activity.

 Ellaine Cabuag, senior education program specialist of the Division of City Schools, said reports on mandatory collections conducted by a number of school officials during Brigada Eskwela in their schools have reached their office that is why city education officials ordered validation of said reports before appropriate actions will be done.

The education specialist said rules and regulations of the Brigada Eskwela prohibits mandatory collections from parents and students are not allowed but only voluntary contributions from donors and other stakeholders are allowed aside from services that they will render to the schools where their children or beneficiaries are enrolled.

“Services that are rendered and contributions that are given to the schools are voluntary in nature that is why we are looking into a number of reports that some school officials had been mandating students and parents to contribute for the conduct of the Brigada Eskwela in their respective schools,” Cabuag said.

 She added services rendered and contributions given by parents, guardians and students are not requirements for enrolment to the said public schools considering that the institutionalized Brigada Eskwela is a purely voluntary activity on their part to help prepare the school right in time for the opening of classes.

Cabuag expressed her gratitude to stakeholders, parents, students, guardians, barangay officials, corporate donors among others who helped in successful conduct of Brigada Eskwela from May 20-24, that prepared different public schools in the city in time for opening of regular classes for schoolyear 2019- 2020 on Monday.

 According to her, the local government headed by outgoing Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan also played a key role in the successful conduct of the Brigada Eskwela because of the institutionalized assistance amounting to P1.5 million that was equally divided among the schools for the purchase of the needed materials in the repair of the various equipment and facilities of the school needed in the class opening.

Cabuag claimed that the Division of City Schools will await whatever the findings and recommendations of the validation done on the schools that made mandatory collections during the conduct of the Brigada Eskwela so that it will serve as a basis for whatever appropriate actions that will be undertaken by the authorities on those that violated the rules and regulations for the annual school maintenance activity.

 Earlier, the local government institutionalized the annual conduct of the Brigada Eskwela in the city and earmarked some p1.5 million from its annual budget which will be equally divided among the public schools to sustain the conduct of their programmed activities in their schools.