DepEd to hold 'special' Brigada Eskwela in Marawi on May 22
RUINS. Months-long clashes between government troops and homegrown terrorists in 2017 left much of Marawi City in ruins. Photo by Bobby Lagsa/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) will hold a special Brigada Eskwela in Marawi City on Tuesday, May 22, almost a year to the day war erupted and eventually gutted the country's only Islamic city.
Government troops and IS-inspired terrorists clashed in Marawi City on May 23, 2016.
During the launch of the DepEd’s Oplan Balik Eskwela 2018 on Monday, May 21 , Education Secretary Leonor Briones said government has “very special concerns now and interests in the rebuilding of (schools in) Marawi,”
Asked if schools in the war-torn city would open for the coming school year, Briones said not all would be ready as they were not yet safe enough to hold classes in.
“Hindi lahat na schools sa Marawi ay pwede mabubukas ng klase kasi sinurvey namin even before the Marawi siege at talagang hindi na silang appropriate or safe na doon magkaklase,” she said.
(Not all schools in Marawi can open since we surveyed even before the Marawi siege and they are really not appropriate or safe to have classes in.)
REBUILD. Education Secretary Leonor Briones says DepEd's special Brigada Eskwela in Marawi City this week will be the first time she steps foot inside ground zero. Photo by Sofia Tomacruz/Rappler
Briones added that DepEd planned to cluster schools in the area as it noted many of the schools were set up close to or side-by-side one another. She also said the department would cluster schools to avoid placing students in unfit areas.
Briones also said DepEd is closely working with officials in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) who directly regulate and supervise schools in the area to immediately address local concerns.
Brigada Eskwela is the government’s annual public school repair volunteer program held before the official start of the school year. Students, teachers, parents, and community volunteers do repairs and clean up in public schools.
DepEd previously held its Brigada Eskwela in war-stricken Marawi last December 13 to 15 but for Briones, May 22 visit will mark the first time she enters ground zero. (READ: At Brigada Eskwela, Briones promises Marawi kids that schools will be fixed)
Five months of clashes between government troops and homegrown terrorists in Marawi City last year led to a total of 69 schools affected. Among these schools, 22 were totally damaged while another 47 are in need of major repairs.
DepEd had previously estimated about P1.16 billion to be spent on rebuilding the 22 completely damaged schools, with another P300 million needed to repair the 47 schools.
The government is set to launch Brigada Eskwela this year in General Santos and Cotabato City on May 29. – Rappler.com
