The Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Negros Occidental started classes in all its 576 schools, with an estimated 325,000 learners, without major concerns on Monday.

DepEd-Negros Occidental supervises schools in the province’s 19 municipalities and the component city of Talisay.

In a statement, Schools Division Superintendent Anthony Liobet said they thoroughly implemented preparations for the opening of classes despite the challenges brought by the eruption and continued unrest of Mt. Kanlaon.

“We hope that this year will be productive for all, especially our learners. The learning of our children is the most important goal we must strive for – against all odds,” he added.

For learners in Kanlaon-hit areas in La Castellana town, the DepEd activated temporary learning spaces and alternative delivery modes and provided learning kits and psychosocial support.

“The successful opening of classes reflects the shared commitment of all stakeholders to ensure that education continues even in times of crisis,” Liobet said.

Over the weekend, internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the two affected local government units decamped the public schools they have been occupying since the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon last December ahead of the opening of classes.

These include 1,989 IDPs, including the initially reported 1,574 individuals from La Carlota City, 897, and La Castellana, 677, who are from Barangays Mansalanao and Barangay Sag-ang.

IDPs from two more villages in La Castellana, including 244 from Biak Na Bato and 171 from Barangay Masulog, have also decamped.

Those who left the school-based evacuation centers either returned home or moved to relocation sites outside the 6-km. permanent danger zone.

In a memorandum dated June 8, Assistant Secretary Cesar Idio, deputy administrator for operations of the Office of Civil Defense, directed the Regional Task Force Kanlaon and concerned member agencies to conduct the immediate vacating of school-based evacuation centers, including four schools in La Castellana and two schools in La Carlota City in Negros Occidental, and prepare the classrooms for academic use.

He also instructed them to facilitate the safe relocation of evacuees sheltered in the school facilities. (PNA)