School officials mull relocation of Paknaan elementary and high school

Deped officials and Cong. Emmarie Lolypop Ouano-Dizon inspect Paknaan National High School on Monday, July 15.| Photo: Mary Rose

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Education officials are considering relocating Paknaan Elementary School and High School to a new location equipped with more classrooms and better facilities to ensure a conducive learning environment.

Rep. Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon of the lone district of Mandaue said that the elementary and high school buildings might be transferred to a donated lot near the Cansaga Bridge.

The 3,000-square meter property was donated by the family of a businessman close to Ouano-Dizon and her husband, Opao Barangay Captain Nixon Dizon.

However, the plan will require a significant budget, which she is still trying to secure.

For the midrise building for Paknaan National High School, the Department of Education Central Office will fund the construction of the building, which will have 12 floors and 60 classrooms.

“This was already proposed as a special project for Calendar Year 2025. So, for the immediate need, we would be charging this to our CY 2025 basic education facilities fund,” said Architect Felix Villanueva Jr., the DepEd-7 Area Manager.

In addition to the midrise building, DepEd also plans to rehabilitate the shared campus of the barangay’s Elementary and High School.

Because of this, DepEd is proposing another building for the elementary school for their temporary transfer while they wait for the rehabilitation of the campus.

The second building will be constructed on a 1,000-square meter property located beside the 2,000-square meter proposed site of the new high school. After the repair, the elementary school will return to its campus, while the new campus for the high school will be near Cansaga, according to Ouano-Dizon’s chief of staff, Atty. Gonzalo “Sally” Malig-on Jr.

Ouano-Dizon hopes to start the implementation process in 2025.

“By this year, atoang paningkamutan nga makapangita ta og additional budget ana for one more building for the elementary. Today, with the inspection of Architect Villanueva, nakit-an niya nga not only high school ang i-patransfer didto but also [the] elementary because of, nga dilapidated na kaayo [ang existing buildings],”

Overcrowding

Ideally, a public school classroom should only accommodate 40 to 45 students to ensure a conducive learning environment, said DepEd-7 Area Manager, Architect Villanueva.

But this is not the case at Paknaan National High School, which enrolled 2,400 students last school year.

Principal Emily Binggas said they assign these students to their 16 classrooms and divide them into three shifts per day, with the last shift ending at 9 p.m.

To ensure that students attending night shift classes are safe, they coordinate with Barangay Paknaan for the assignment of tanods near the public high school.

Binggas said overcrowding and the need for additional classrooms is something they have been experiencing for years now.

For this reason, she was also elated to learn about plans to build additional school buildings for their barangay.

Decongesting

Villanueva and Rep. Ouano-Dizon visited Paknaan National High School on Monday morning, July 15, for an inspection of the public high school.

“This school is one of the many schools situated in the highly urbanized part of Mandaue. So, we need to look into the possibility of decongesting on a long-term basis, with a long-term plan. We are closely working with Cong. Ouano-Dizon in looking for other possible sites to construct new buildings and to provide more budget,” said Villanueva.

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