BY:JENNIFER C. TILOS
DUMAGUETE CITY, May 23 (PIA) The Department of Education (DepEd) Dumaguete City division has gathered stakeholders in a national school clean-up this week, Brigada Eskwela, focuses safety and disaster-preparedness in the community.
The school officials, education stakeholders, parents, teachers and community residents trooped to different public schools in preparation for the opening of classes on June 2 for school year 2014-2015.
In a DepEd memo states that the Brigada Eskwela effort will focus on making schools disaster-ready, and on developing disaster-resilient school communities.
This intends to develop disaster-resilient school communities emphasizing more attention in easing the schools’ vulnerability to both natural and human-made disasters.
According to Nelson Caday, DepEd educational program supervisor, “As what we had experienced, there has been earthquakes, typhoons, fire…we would like to protect our children.”
For this year’s brigada the school is not only focusing on the sweeping or cleaning-up the grounds and classrooms but it see to it how strong the classrooms must be, said Caday.
“We are teaching the parents’ students that when disasters come, they should always be ready,” he added.
Different activities have been lined-up for the participants during the orientation held at the Calindagan Elementary School last Monday. Along with the stakeholders, this include Dumaguete City vice-mayor Woodrow Maquiling, Calindagan Brgy. Capt. Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria Jr. and the other barangay councilors participated in the activity.
One of the highlights of the activity was the parents were taught on disaster-drills on fire and earthquake.
Brigada Eskwela Coordinator Dr. Neri Ojastro said “The parents should be the ones that are to be taught with regards to the drills so that they will be the ones to teach their children at home on what to do including crime prevention.”
Ojastro said the local education department is expecting more than 15,000 students to troop to public elementary and secondary schools in the city. (mbcn/JCT/PIA7-Negros Oriental with reports from Ina Isabelle A. Taburaza, intern)