DepEd reports 1:50 classroom achievement

Cebu, Philippines (01 February) -- The Department of Education (DepEd) reported that by 2006, the government had achieved its medium plan target ratio of one classroom for every 50 grade school students on double shift.

This was included in the progress report of the Presidential Task Force for Education during the 1st biennial Education Congress in Manila recently.

In 2001, DepEd's goal was to reduce the time and money spent by students to actually travel from their homes to the schools; and to build classrooms in the far-flung barangays unserved by nearby schools.

It was reported that within a year, the government completed more than 1000 of those needed school buildings.

In 2007, according to the DepEd, the government added another 15,000 classrooms and this year, it will start the construction season for 10,000 classrooms. A series of groundbreaking activities will start this Saturday, Feb. 2.

In Cebu City, Governor Gwen Garcia and Barangay Lahug Captain Mary Ann de Los Santos joined the DepEd officials, parents, teachers and students in the inauguration of the 20-classroom building at the Lahug Elementary School compound.

Lahug Barangay captain De Los Santos told the media that the 20-classroom school building was funded through the fund raising activity of the Lahug residents called "Piso Mo, Eskwelahan ko," after its school building was hit with a fire in 2007.

The campign yielded some P168,000 and Provincial Governor Gwen Garcia, upon seeing the hapless conditions of the students donated a P5-million allocation for the school construction.

Out of the 20 classrooms, only four (4) classrooms are completed so far and these were turned over to the principal, PTCA of the Lahug Elementary School at Baranagy Lahug, Cebu City.

De Los Santos further said that out of the P5.168-million, only P2.2-million was spent for the 4 classrooms. She hopes that the remaining program of works for the entire 20-classroom building will be fast tracked and "we will see the completion of the project before the year ends," she added. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)