BAGUIO CITY (PIA) – – The Department of Education – Cordillera (DepEd – CAR) assures that preparations for the upcoming school year are running smoothly and classes in public schools will officially open on August 29.
DepEd – CAR Regional Director Estela Cariño affirmed this in a media interview during the Regional Teachers’ Congress here recently.
Cariño said that cleaning of classrooms started at the end of the school year as teachers left their respective classrooms clean and neat. Following the DepEd national launching, the Brigada Eskwela in the region also started through the guidance of the different provincial/city school division supervisors.
Teachers from SPED Campus in Baguio City facilitated enrollment of learners and volunteers for the Brigada Eskwela 2023. (CCD/PIA CAR)
For the public schools affected by Super typhoon Egay last week of July, cleaning of school grounds and classrooms started when the weather got better, she said.
For the damaged classrooms, the DepEd – CAR already submitted a report of damages and estimated cost for the needed repair and reconstruction.
DepEd – CAR data showed there were 216 totally damaged classrooms, 717 with major damages and 878 with minor damages, majority of which are in the province of Abra.
Cariño also gave a directive on the use of school’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses fund for minor repairs. With the additional MOOE received from the Central Office, DepEd – CAR will look into prioritizing allocation to the schools affected by Egay.
The DepEd regional office personnel are going around the region for the monitoring of the school opening preparations and Brigada Eskwela implementations starting with Abra and Apayao this week.
Cariño calls on DepEd learners to go to school on August 29 as classes will officially start on that day.
For the parents of learners, Cariño seeks for their support to the Brigada Eskwela and in ensuring that their children will be ready in terms of their school needs when classes open.
During the academic year 2021 – 2022, there were 371,265 learners from kinder to senior high in the 1,845 public schools in the Cordillera . With the return of the face – to – face classes, DepEd – CAR expects more enrollees for this school year.
Cariño said the implementation of a blended mode of learning is still encouraged in schools with large population as well as in schools with still unrepaired typhoon – damaged classrooms by Aug. 29. **JDP/CCD-PIA CAR
