BAGUIO CITY – Public elementary and high schools in the city are now ready for the opening of classes on June 5, the city schools division under concurrent officer-in-charge Beatriz Torno announced last Monday.
Department of Education Cordillera OIC assistant regional director Zoraya Facullo, in her report before city officials led by Mayor Mauricio Domogan and Vice Mayor Edison Bilog said that with the conclusion of the preparation drive Brigada Eskwela last week, schools are now prepared for the return of the students.
Facullo expressed the department’s gratitude to all the groups and individuals from the public and private sectors for contributing their time, effort and resources to ensure that public school facilities are prepared in time for the school opening.
The preparations did not only focus on getting the facilities ready for the day-to-day learning of the students but also on the schools’ readiness for disasters and on warding off the threat of rabies.
Division education program supervisor for Math Francisco Copsiyan reported that as of May 19, there were a total of 28,859 enrollees in the 45 public elementary schools in the city.
For junior and senior high schools, a total of 15,416 students have so far enlisted in the 22 schools offering the curriculum.
Copsiyan said they continue to campaign for students to enroll at the stand-alone senior high school program at the newly-built Baguio City National Science High School in Irisan barangay.
Apart from the senior high school sections, the campus will house the Grade 7 special science classes formerly hosted by the Baguio City High School and the Pines City national High School.
As in the past year, the city government gave assistance to the schools in the form of construction materials distributed and delivered by the city general services office to those schools in need of such as identified by the division office.
The mayor said P1 million has been allocated for the purpose.
City general services officer Romeo Concio said the city also made available discarded but usable LED light bulbs, wooden and iron scrap materials for schools which may be availed of in their office.
Mayor Domogan said he expects that with all the preparations, the opening of classes will run smoothly and peacefully.
The Baguio City Police Office under Sr. Supt. Ramil Saculles will again mount its back-to-school plan dubbed “BCPO Implan Ligtas Balik Eskwela” to tackle any traffic and peace and order problem.
The traffic and anti-crime measures focus on increased police visibility in critical areas through the deployment of police personnel, setting up of police assistance desks in major school campuses and clustered schools and enhanced anti-criminality operations. /Aileen P. Refuerzo
