REPAINTED walls, newly scrubbed floors and fixed armchairs will greet students of Mandaue City Central School in Barangay Centro as classes open on June 5.
The weeklong Brigada Eskwela which ended yesterday and was implemented in all schools nationwide saw teachers, students, and their families help each other out in cleaning and preparing the classrooms for the incoming school year.
At the Mandaue City Central School, Grade 3 teacher Genevieve Escasinas said her classroom is now ready to take in more than 40 students.
She credits her students and families who worked all week to get it ready.
Mandaue City Central School principal Claribel Colipapa also credited small business owners and the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) who helped and donated cleaning and educational materials to the school.
“Donations from stakeholders are a very big help to schools. The more help we get, the faster we improve the learning environment of kids,” Colipapa said.
She said a new 20-room building is scheduled to be completed in August.
The Department of Education (DepEd) Mandaue City Division said the city’s elementary and secondary public schools are ready to take in more than 15,000 expected enrollees for school year 2017-2018.
DepEd Mandaue City public information officer Mercedita Demoral said 80 percent of the city’s schools are constructing new buildings to accommodate the expected increase of students.
Demoral said they are closely working with the city government to widen school drainage systems and provide rescue teams for the rainy season.
“But there are schools that have initiated to make rafts which they can use when the floodwater rises,” Demoral said, citing the raft project of Mayor A.S. Fortuna Memorial Elementary School.