Tacloban schools brace for new academic year

TACLOBAN CITY May 16 -- Nearly four years of rising from the rubble, schools in this city have been gearing up for the opening of another school year by cleaning up old buildings and constructing permanent and makeshift rooms.

Near relocation sites is the new campus known as the Northern Tacloban City National High School (NTCNHS) to accommodate the influx of learners previously enrolled in schools near coastal communities badly hit by super typhoon Yolanda on Nov. 8, 2013.

NTCNHS Principal Luisito Adrales said that prior to his new assignment last week, the campus had been preparing for the new academic year. 

 “For us, Brigada Eskwela is not just before the opening of new school year, but it’s a whole year round activity,” Adrales said.

  The school is expecting a significant jump in enrollment with the massive transfer of families from danger zones to safer grounds. 

Most learners are from Villa Diana, Guadalupe, North Hill, New Hope, and Greendale resettlement sites. These housing sites are in Sto. Niño village.

Its enrollment has tripled from 283 in 2014 to 985 last year. Each classroom accommodates 50 students.

To date, the education department is building 20 classrooms through funding from 2015 allotment. No makeshift classrooms will rise within the NTCNHS campus, but in nearby schools, workers are busy constructing about 100 temporary learning spaces to solve classroom shortage. 

The school, which is about 13 kilometers from the city’s commercial district, has been generating support from various stakeholders - parents, national government agencies, local government officials, and private firms who extended donations.

Meanwhile, big state-run schools in the city have been bracing for the new school year to open on June 5. 

With the theme “Isang DepEd, Isang Pamayanan, Isang Bayanihan Para sa Handa at Ligtas na Paaralan,” the DepEd mobilized students, education officials, parents, government offices, and business sector to contribute their time, effort, and resources to make public schools conducive for learning.

Rizal Central School (RCS), a primary school with about 2,300 learners, opened the week-long activity on Monday with more than 1,000 volunteers.

“After the launching, more will be coming to volunteer in the next five days. On the last day, we will recognize participants,” said Harold Naputo, RCS information officer.

For Reynaldo Salazar, a parent of a Grade 2 learner, he was compelled to join the activity in the past two years because he wanted to see children learning and not cleaning on the first day of school. 

“One benefit of this annual event is the expansion of our partnership because this is not only about the involvement of students, but also the participation of countless of stakeholders,” said Jennylind Daya, Brigada Eskwela 2017 coordinator of the Leyte National High School (LNHS), the most populated high school in Eastern Visayas region. 

According to Daya, the cleanup drive had started on May 2 since a week-long preparation was not enough for a campus with more than 200 classrooms. 

The National Schools Maintenance Week will end on May 19. 

(Wanda Chanese O. Antonio, Eunice T. Asuncion & Meagan C. Duya, OJTs/PNA)