Education department “generally ready” for June 5 class opening

June 1, 2017

The education department is “generally ready” to receive millions of students when classes open on June 5. “We can’t say 100 percent that everything was ready, we are saying that generally ready but there will be certain schools, certain areas located on far places that we cannot include”, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said in a press conference Thursday. She said the department anticipates 26,969,816 students to enroll for school year 2017-2018. Around 2.8 million students are expected to enroll for senior high school, 7.6 million for junior high school and 14.4 million elementary enrollees, Briones said. She said the fighting in Marawi City between the government and the ISIS-linked Maute militants may have an impact in their expected number of students. She said there are about 5,000 students from Marawi City who needs to transfer to other nearby schools. Briones said classroom shortages has been reduced to around 47,000 and 10,000 classrooms to be replaced from 66,000 last year. “There is really a lack of space…there are land donations before but now no one wants to donate land so our alternative is build high rise but of course high-rise building would cost more in terms of all the protective utilities”, she said. Education Undersecretary Jesus Mateo said hiring 53,000 teachers is  going on. Esperanza Cayanan, chief of the weather division of Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, said frequent rains can be experienced in the month of June and some areas in western section, including Metro Manila, may experience floods. She said July is considered the rainiest month as the southwest monsoon will be experienced. Johnny Cappalos, assistant chief of  the Public Safety Division of the Philippine National Police, said police will deploy officers. A police assistance desk will be put up in every school in Metro Manila to ensure students are safe. Emilio Llavor, chief of the planning and design division in theb Metro Manila Development Authority, said 171 traffic constables have been deployed along the university belt to ensure orderly traffic. There will be 111 traffic constables for the Camanava area, and 105 traffic constables along the vicinity of school campuses along Katipunan Avenue and C.P. Garcia Avenue, Quezon City. There will be 141 traffic constables in San Juan, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Marikina City and along the major thoroughfares of Ortigas Avenue, C-5, Meralco Avenue and Marcos Highway, 178 traffic constables placed within the vicinity of school campuses at Makati, Paranaque, Pasay, Muntinlupa and Taguig City, and 105 traffic officers along Commonwealth Avenue, he said. Alanna Ambi/DMS