Rey Javier (left), City Central School PTA president, and Supt. Vergel Ranes welcomes Marawi City students./CDN Photos/Junjie Mendoza
Waffie Naim sat down and calmly surveyed the quadrangle of the Cebu City Central School at past 7 a.m. yesterday.
The 12-year-old Naim is one of the few students who transferred from Marawi City that is besieged by Maute terrorists.
“Yes po,” Naim said when asked if he wanted to have new friends at Cebu City Central School.
Naim is a Grade Six student who studied at the Jamiatul Philippines Al-Islamia, a private school in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.
Ominsalam Basher, Naim’s 38-year-old Cebu City-based aunt, enrolled him in school.
“We went to the principal’s office and we were given this note that my nephew can enroll,” Basher said.
In an interview, Basher showed a pink note signed by the school principal of Cebu City Central School that allowed Naim to enroll without school documents.
“My younger sister’s family and our parents arrived here in Cebu last weekend,” Basher said.
Naim’s family walked five hours from Marawi City to reach Iligan City.
Naim’s family traveled to Cagayan De Oro City before heading to Cebu City.
“I told them to come here in Cebu City. It’s safer here,” Basher said.
“Hindi muna (Not yet),” Naim said when asked if he would return to Marawi City once it is cleared of Maute terrorists. Basher has been in Cebu City since 2006 and runs a store.
Naim has a younger sister enrolled in Grade Four class at Ermita Elementary School.
His mother is a Madrasah education program teacher in Marawi City while his father tends the home.
Minang A. Mananggis, coordinator of Cebu City’s Madrasah education program, said they are still gathering data on how many transferees from Marawi City enrolled in Cebu City as of 4 p.m. yesterday.
Mananggis said most transferees enrolled at the Cebu City Central School.
“There are endorsement letters for them to enroll even with no documents,” Mananggis said.
Alaina Macabato and Salma Abdulla, two Madrasah education program teachers at Zapatera Elementary School, arrived in Cebu City and had to take time off to recover from the stress of being stranded in Marawi City and Iligan City.
“We are also giving consideration to them. We have substitute teachers who will teach the Madrasah Education,” Mananggis said.
The Madrasah education program covers Arabic language and Muslim values, among others.
Of the 22 contractual teachers who went home to Marawi City prior to the conflict, one died due to stress suffered during childbirth. Four teachers returned to Cebu City last week. There are still 17 teachers who remain in Mindanao and need fare for the trip back to Cebu.
“They are not traveling alone but they have families with them,” Mananggis said.