Malacanang says government moves to ensure
smooth opening of classes next month
With two weeks more to go before the start of
classes next month, the Aquino government has begun mobilizing its resources to
ensure that the opening of classes goes on without a hitch, a Palace official
said on Sunday.
In a press briefing aired over government-run
radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda
said the Department of Education-led Brigada Eskwela and Oplan Balik Eskwela
(OBE) programs will be launched next week to give schools, parents and students
ample time to prepare for the opening of classes.
Lacierda said that Brigada Eskwela (National
Schools Maintenance Week), an annual event where volunteers repair and clean up
public schools before the opening of classes in June, will be launched Monday
(May 21), while OBE, which aims to assist the public with back-to-school
concerns, will begin on May 28.
Lacierda added that Brigada Eskwela, which will
run until May 26, will be executing “two firsts” for this year: “it will
specifically focus on school sanitation and secondly, it will focus on
improving the schools of indigenous communities.”
Oplan Balik Eskwela, which has three main
components: convergence, information dissemination and the setting up of an
information and action center (IAC) at the DepEd Central office in Pasig City,
will last until June 8.
Other concerned agencies such as the Philippine
National Police, the Department of Health, the Department of Interior and Local
Government, and the Department of Public Works and Highways will pitch in their
respective efforts for the safe and trouble-free opening of classes.
Lacierda called on the Filipino people to
volunteer in helping in this worthwhile endeavor.
“May 45,000 schools involved dito at kung gusto
niyong mag-volunteer, pumunta lang kayo sa mga respective public schools niyo,”
Lacierda said. (PCOO)
