Volunteers clean up schools

Parents with their children help clean the classrooms of Zapatera National High School during the start of the weeklong Brigada Eskwela. They also repair chairs and tables. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Volunteers flocked to Cebu City Central School (CCCS) and Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School (MCCNHS) to help clean and beautify the schools in preparation for the opening of classes on June 13.

The week-long Brigada Eskwela with the theme “Tayo Para sa Paaralang Ligtas, Maayos at Handa Mula Kindergarten Hanggang Senior High School” started yesterday wherein volunteers composed of parents, students and teachers gathered to clean up the classrooms and its surroundings.

Evelyn Baguis arrived at 7 a.m. at CCCS with a broom to help clean Room 103 that will be occupied by her daughter.

“This (Brigada Eskwela) is very important because it helps minimize hassle for the students on the first day of school,” she told Cebu Daily News while holding the broom.

Her 6-year-old daughter Ellaine is an incoming grade one student at Cebu City Central School.

She said that her daughter was excited to go to school. She added that her daughter already bought new school bags and uniform. Her notebooks and other requirements will be bought later after receiving instructions from the teacher.

For her, Brigada Eskwela is fun because she could also meet the parents of her daughter’s classmates.

Dolores Diolan, whose two children will enter grades 2 and 3 this coming school year, was armed with a broom and rag when she arrived at CCCS at 7 a.m. yesterday.

Her children Alvin, 6, and Nicole, 9, also helped sweep the floor.

“It’s also nice that on the first day of school their classrooms are already cleaned and everything is ready,” she added.

Cebu City Schools Division Superintendent Bianito Dagatan said that aside from cleaning, minor repairs were also conducted in some parts of the school buildings.

“A small repair on the canal to make sure it will not overflow and avoid the breeding of mosquitoes,” he added.

In Cebu City, around 170,000 students, from kindergarten to high school, are expected to show up on June 13 in 54 public high schools and 68 public elementary schools.

In Mandaue City, students and parents flocked to Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School (MCCNHS) for the kickoff of the nationwide Brigada Eskwela.

Students with their parents and teachers gathered to clean up the classrooms and their surroundings.

Maryan Abella, 33, of Barangay Tingub said she would volunteer for the Brigada Eskwela every year to help clean and beautify the school.

“Naa man koy mo grade 7 nga estudyante. Niapil ko para sure nga limpyo ang palibot sa akong anak (I have an incoming grade 7 student. I joined to make sure the surroundings of my child are clean),” Abella said.

Incoming grade 11 student Kim Vincent Pintor said it is his way of giving back to his alma mater.

“Every year ko motabang. Nindot ang feeling nga makatabang sa eskwelahan nga mo nindot (I help every year. I feel fulfilled in helping beautify the school),” Pintor said.

Arlina Yap Amante, school principal of MCCNHS, said they are positive that they can accommodate the estimated 4,000 students this coming school year.

She said they have enough teachers, but admitted they lacked classrooms.

“Ang among building so far gisige pag tukod mao nga pero nag-allot gyud mi og classrooms sa junior high school nga among magamit para sa senior high (Our building so far is still under construction, that’s why we allot classrooms in junior high school for the senior high school,” Amante said.

She said they will implement classes in three shifts to accommodate all the students, that is, 6 a.m. to noon, 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and night classes, due to lack of classrooms.

“Ang classrooms, gi-handle ni siya sa DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), samtang gihatagan na sad ta og additional teachers sa DepEd Central Office karong tuiga (The classroom (construction) is being handled by the DPWH, while the DepEd Central Office already gave us additional teachers this year),” Monisit said.

The Brigada Eskwela in Mandaue started with a motorcade and a ribbon cutting.

In MCCNHS, the first day included the cleaning of the school campus, while the second day until the fourth will focus on the repair of classrooms, chairs and tables, and the fifth day will be on evaluation and closing program.

“This is also a way of informing everybody nga kami sa Department of Education (DepEd) ready na pud para sa pag implement sa K-12 (This is also to inform everybody that we, in DepEd, are ready for the implementation of K-12,” Dr. Ardin Monisit, Mandaue City Schools Division Superintendent said.

Benjamin Tiongzon, DepEd Program Supervisor of Mandaue, said that aside from the volunteers, various stakeholders also supported the activity, such as the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Yakult, Philippine National Police, Department of Social Welfare and Development and the City Engineering office.

“The spirit of voluntarism is seen in every people in the community most especially people living near the school,” Tiongzon said.