The Iloilo provincial government has allocated PHP110 million from its PHP250 million school board fund this year to construct new classrooms and improve school facilities — a top priority of Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. as he enters his final term.

Provincial School Board Secretary Freda Fajardo said Thursday that the governor is also considering tapping savings from the Special Education Fund (SEF) to build more classrooms.

Citing the data provided by the Department of Education Iloilo Schools Division, Fajardo said there is an immediate need for 1,655 classrooms and currently, 463 makeshift classrooms are being used in schools.

As a swift response to the immediate need, Defensor turned over 21 tent-type makeshift classrooms to three schools on Monday.

Inspired by emergency tents from the Philippine Red Cross and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the weather-resistant structures feature elevated ceilings, insulation, electric fan mounts, and lighting.

The tents were designed by engineers and architects from the Provincial Engineer’s Office and installed by the General Services Office (GSO). The design was field-tested at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol grounds beginning in February to assess its durability against wind, rain and heat.

“During emergencies and calamities, it can be used as an evacuation center and mini-hospital,” she said.

The Alimodian National Comprehensive High School in Alimodian town, where 19 classrooms were razed by fire on June 2, received 10 units, the Ardemil National High School, located in the mountainous barangay of Sara, with nine and the Leonora S. Salapantan National High School Extension in San Miguel, which caters to geographically isolated learners, received two units.

The main campus of Leonora is congested. They will open Grade 7, but they don’t have even a single building, while all classrooms of Ardemil are dilapidated, she said.

“This year, the school board allotted another PHP5 million purposely for tent classrooms. This is the first-ever (pilot) implementation of tent classrooms, the brainchild of Governor Defensor,” she said.

The initiative is part of the interventions of the provincial government through its Bulig Eskwela sang Probinsya (BES Probins), anchored on the provincial government’s commitment to inclusive and resilient education under MoRProGRes Iloilo. (PNA)