The Department of Education in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DepEd-CAR) said the department is setting up temporary learning spaces and looking at other learning platforms for learners whose schools were affected by the Abra earthquake on July 27.

“The opening of classes is still on August 22 in all public schools in the region, including in Abra,” Cyrille Gaye Miranda of the DepEd-Cordillera Public Affairs Office said Wednesday.

“Ongoing ang assessment and validation ng mga damaged buildings for the program of work preparation and possible funding (the assessment and validation of damaged buildings are ongoing for the preparation of the program of work and possible funding),” she added.

She also said blended learning will be applied in schools where face-to-face learning modality would be impossible due to the massive damage incurred by the schools.

“There are still aftershocks happening and cannot also risk the safety of the learners,” she said, adding that landslides from heavy rains are also a possibility.

Based on the latest report of the DepEd-CAR, 313 classrooms were totally damaged in Abra, the hardest hit province during the magnitude 7 quake, while 482 sustained partial but major damage, and 795 had partial minor damage.

The report also shows there were 2,885 damaged furniture; 13,468 learning resources; and 782 damaged computers.

Enrollment ongoing

Miranda said that as of Aug. 3, 140,691 learners at the different public schools from elementary to senior high school have enrolled.

“Tuluy-tuloy naman ang enrollment hanggang sa opening (Enrollment will continue up to the opening of classes) and even after the classes have started,” she said.

“We will continue to accommodate enrollees and we will not refuse any student,” she added.

For school year 2021-2022, there are 430,924 enrollees from kindergarten to senior high school in both public and private schools, lower than the previous school year’s enrollment of 435,934. (PNA)