DepEd maps out alternative means for closed quake-prone schools

After ordering the closure of at least four quake-prone schools, the Department of Education is racing against time to map out various alternative ways to address concerns of affected students. DepEd Undersecretary Yolanda Quijano on Friday said the initial alternative ways may include using public buildings as temporary classrooms and a distance-learning setup. “Ang mga alternative ngayon ay kung may existing public buildings na pwedeng gamitin, makiusap kami na gamitin muna ito. Ang isa pang tinitingnan namin ang alternative learning delivery system. Sa high school, may modules para sa mga batang di gustong pumasok every day. Dadalhin sa bahay ang modules at may teacher-facilitator na titingin. Titingnan namin paano io-organize at sino ang in charge sa material production," Quijano said in an interview on dzBB radio. (We are looking at possible alternatives. One involves using existing public buildings to hold classes. Another involves a system where students bring home learning modules and teacher-facilitators check on them once every few days.) She said they are working out the details of the system now, especially since the list of quake-prone schools that may be ordered closed may grow longer.

Another alternative is to have the teacher-facilitator set a schedule to meet with the students, even on Saturdays and Sundays, she added. Last Wednesday, the DepEd said 778 school buildings have structural defects, and that 107 of these are in Metro Manila. Earlier this week, the DepEd ordered closed at least four public schools the departments' engineers deemed liable to collapse during an earthquake. These included:

* Bagong Silangan Elementary School, Fairview, Quezon City; * Bagong Silangan High School, Fairview, Quezon City; * Concepcion Elementary School, Malabon City; and * Teodora Alonzo High School in Manila.

“Our assessment is still ongoing so I cannot say if this list is final. We expect to get reports every week," Quijano said. She also said they are mapping out areas especially in the provinces where landslides are a constant threat to school buildings. “Meron kaming mapping kung anong areas ang di na dapat patayuan ng buildings, meron kaming ganoong mga information," she added. She admitted the DepEd is working under time pressure since School Year 2011-2012 will start in June. “Hindi natin masabing handang-handa, kailangan paghandaan, walang choice (We cannot say at this time that we are ready, but we have no choice except to be ready by June)," she said. — LBG, GMA News