By Perla Lena/Philippine News Agency
ILOILO CITY — A central school in the municipality of Lambunao does not only physically prepare its school for the formal opening of classes this June 3.
Instead, its “Brigada Eskwela”, an annual school maintenance program, is laced with other activities to prepare its pupils in their academics, as well as their health aspect.
Dr. May Jenny Arceña, Principal II of the Don Eugenio Ladrido Memorial Elementary School (DELMES) in Lambunao East, said they did focus on cleanup and maintenance activities.
Three dentists also volunteered to conduct a dental mission on Tuesday.
On the same day, there will be a literacy program where non-readers will be educated while pupils will be taught how to count.
“Our literacy program is a sort of remedial to teach children how to read. We started two weeks ago,” she said.
Since teachers are already on their full-swing duty, the remedial lesson is being done on a one-on-one basis.
The pupils were identified through their “pull-out” program, which is a remedial reading, during their regular school days last year.
“Those who are our problems in literacy are also our problems in numeracy,” Arceña said.
The school also offers basic computer literacy under the Alternative Learning System (ALS) and values formation seminar.
Meanwhile, to cap the week-long Brigada, the Philippine Army will be rendering services on May 25.
Arceña said they do not have many problems in cleaning up because the school is well-maintained, after it was used as a polling center during the May 13 elections.
The Brigada Eskwela kicked off with a caravan of stakeholders in tandem with the Lambunao National High School (LNHS).
Participants included parents, local government unit officials, barangay officials, and community stakeholders.
“It is a yearly activity of the Department of Education (DepEd) that is being held in every school in the country in preparation for the opening of classes on June 3, 2019. This is not a crusade of the school and the local government unit. This is the crusade of our parents, students and stakeholders who will help prepare our school for our students,” she added.
Mayor Jason Gonzales, in his message before the community activity, said his programs in education, such as trainings for teachers and workshops for children in Lambunao, will be sustained.
The mayor is about to sit as a board member of the province of Iloilo after serving three years as mayor of Lambunao.
Sangguniang Bayan chair for education committee Arvin Losaria, who will assume as the town’s vice mayor come June 30, also assured the continuous support of the local legislative body to the education sector.
“We will continue to provide entire support in the education sector. We have already provided in our annual investment plan and will finalize our budget for 2020 where our priority is of course for the best Lambunao in terms of education,” he said.
DELMES has more or less 1,400 pupil population.
The school hoped to maintain its status, which was awarded as the number one most outstanding elementary school in the Division of Iloilo for two consecutive years.
Arceña said they also hoped to vie in the best Brigada Eskwela implementers.
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