The local governments of Davao del Norte and Tagum City are extending unique projects to strengthen efforts for the Brigada Eskwela and to reach out to schools in farflung areas.
Department of Education (DepEd)-Davao del Norte Schools Division Senior Education Program Specialist Romela Pangadoyon, during her guesting in the Brigada Eskwela episode of the Kapihan sa DavNor, revealed that Governor Edwin I. Jubahib of Davao del Norte had conceptualized and funded the “Kusina sa Paaralan” project established in far-flung public schools in the Ata-Manobo Municipality of Talaingod.
The project was launched during the provincial Brigada Eskwela on August 14 in Brgy. Palma Gil in Talaingod town as a featured project among other initiatives to bring in multi-sectoral participation or “bayanihan” for the Brigada Eskwela.
Pangandoyon explained that the Kusina sa Paaralan provides not only a dirty kitchen structure but also kitchen utensils and supply of food to be cooked for far-flung-resident pupils and students coming to and fro the school.
Alongside this initiative is the Gulayan sa Paaralan to supplement the feeding program of DepEd schools especially those located in geographically isolated and depressed areas (GIDAs).
DepEd Davao del Norte had partnered with the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAGRO), which provided 2,000 packs of vegetable seedlings for distribution during the kick-off of Brigada Eskwela.
“Kay kung Healthy man gud ang atong estudyante, mo skwela sila, mo increase sad ang ilahang performance. Kay mostly baya ang reason nganong mag drop out ang atong mga estudyante is kana gutom sila (If the students are healthy, they can go to school, thereby increasing their performance. Most of the reasons why students drop from school is hunger),” she said.
“Sa feeding program ug sa Kusina sa Paaralan nga programa sa atoang probinsiya so, at least ma inspire ang atong mga estudyante sa pag skwela. (With the feeding program and with the Kusina sa Paaralan program of the province, at least, students are inspired to go to school),” she added.
Meanwhile, Tagum City Mayor Rey T. Uy extends school chair assistance to schools outside of Tagum City through his “Care for School Chair” Program, making use of confiscated and abandoned logs to fabricate student arm chairs.
During the same Kapihan program, Tagum City DepEd Schools Division Senior Education Program Specialist Anwar Maadel said the fabricated chairs had been distributed to school all over the city of Tagum.
“Not just Tagum but of course ang atoang mga neighboring nga mga munisipyo, sa Davao del Norte are also recipients sa atong mga school Chairs,” he said.
Donations raised for the Brigada Eskwela, especially paints, are shared with the “Care for School Chair” program which relatively benefit the school children, Maadel explained as he revealed that schools in the municipalities of New Corella, Asuncion and Kapalong also have benefitted from such program.
The Care for School chairs of Tagum even goes beyond borders of Davao del Norte, benefiting the nearby province of Davao de Oro, among other areas beyond Tagum.
On August 15, Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer (MENRO) Racelyn A. Argosino of Loreto, Agusan del Sur witnessed the turnover of 192 armchairs from MayorUy, through the Care for School Chairs Program, to La Fortuna National High School in a simple ceremony held during the kick-off of the Brigada Eskwela of the school in the remote barangay of La Fortuna, Veruela, Agusan del Sur.
The armchairs were fabricated from confiscated logs from Brgy. Kasapa I, Loreto Agusan del Sur by the DENR-CENRO Loreto, which were directly transported to the City of Tagum as custodian and eventually donated to the Care for School Chairs Program. (JMDA/PIA Davao del Norte/with reports from the City of Tagum)
