By Sarwell Meniano/Philippine News Agency
BURAUEN, Leyte — Poverty has not stopped stakeholders of farming communities in this town from participating in the Brigada Eskwela meant to prepare campuses for a new academic year.
Unfazed by the sun’s heat, Zenaida Salas, 48, joined other parents and teachers in preparing the school for the opening of classes on June 3.
“Since I don’t have money to contribute for the school improvement, we have been coming here every Brigada Eskwela to show to teachers how I appreciate their efforts to help children learn how to read and write,” said Salas, who spent two days removing weeds at the school premises.
Her grandson, John Mark Antivo, 14, a Grade 6 pupil is just one of the 68 learners of Hugpa West Elementary School in Hugpa West village, some four kilometers from the town center.
Zenaida and her live-in-partner only earn about PHP2,000 monthly from working in rice and coconut farms.
John Mark’s father refused to acknowledge him while his mother married another man in Samar province, leaving Zenaida to face the responsibility of supporting the child’s basic needs.
“Raising John Mark was very challenging with our hand-to-mouth existence. I am happy that education is free. Sometimes, his teachers provide him basic school supplies since our money is only for our food requirement,” Zenaida added.
For teacher Nelson Raga, Brigada Eskwela in Hugpa West is not only limited to classroom preparation but other aspects as well.
“In some cases, teachers here have to spend from their own pockets to secure copies of legal documents of our learners such as the certificates of live birth. We have to chip in money to buy school supplies of very poor pupils,” said Raga, one of three teachers of poverty-stricken Hugpa West village.
Parents and teachers also set up a school-based garden to cultivate root crops to make sure that poor children have something to eat for lunch during school days.
“It breaks my heart knowing that some children don’t go to school because they have to help their parents. Some of them just spend their time playing during lunchtime because they have nothing to eat,” Raga told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Saturday.
The annual Brigada Eskwela is the National Schools’ Maintenance Week that aims to bring together all education stakeholders to participate and contribute their time, effort, and resources to prepare public school facilities in time for the opening of classes on June 3.
Ariel Alpino, teacher-in-charge of Hugpa West thanked stakeholders for their commitment to improving the school’s learning environment as they show how they value a child’s education.
“Almost all parents here are poor. They just came and contribute time, energy, or whatever they can to make sure that this public school is ready for the opening of classes,” Alpino said.
The Brigada Eskwela, which runs from May 20 to 25, is anchored on the theme “Matatag na Bayan para sa Maunlad na Paaralan.”
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