By: Vanessa Bugtong
With only days left before the new school year begins, public schools in Baguio City are not just grappling with broken chairs and unpainted walls, but also a growing concern over the shortage of classrooms.
At Baguio Central School, parents and volunteers have been working hard through the annual Brigada Eskwela to help teachers prepare the campus.
Among them is Christel Ordanza, who was seen fixing chairs for incoming Grade 1 students, even though her children are already in high school.
“I just wanted to help ease the workload of teachers and make sure everything’s ready once classes start,” Ordanza shared while holding a hammer.
Another volunteer, Lehabim Pudsok, joined the preparations by helping set up a temporary classroom tucked away in a corner of one building. “We’re assisting an ALS teacher to get her temporary classroom ready. It’s just a makeshift room for now,” he said.
According to Principal Jackson Caya-as of Baguio Central School, around 75% of their target 3,000 enrollees have already signed up.
But with only about 70 classrooms available, the school still lacks nearly 28 rooms to fully accommodate their students.
“We’re trying to find ways to manage the shortage,” Caya-as said. “One of our alternatives is blended learning. Since last year, we’ve been holding morning and afternoon classes in the same rooms.”
Mayor Benjamin Magalong didn’t mince words on the recurring classroom problem. “It’s frustrating that local governments are always the ones stressed out every school opening. I hope those corrupt officials in Congress wake up and do something. We need to uplift the state of education,” he said.
Meanwhile, a building under construction that could have added more classrooms remains only 20 to 25 percent complete.
“We haven’t declared an enrollment cap yet,” Caya-as noted, despite the space issues.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara recently acknowledged that the classroom shortage is a nationwide problem.
“We’re now at 160,000 [shortfall] and counting. The current system just can’t keep up, especially in populated areas like NCR and Region IV-A. With the current budget, it might take us 30 years to close the gap,” he said.
Despite the odds, teachers, parents, and students alike are hopeful for a smooth school year.
