Fifty-nine schools under the Schools Division Office (SDO) of Antique are recipients of the Supplemental Feeding Program (SFP) committed during the kickoff of the Brigada Eskwela in this province on Friday.

The Ricardo S. Po Foundation and Century Pacific Foods will implement SFP in 59 schools in the province, Antique Brigada Eskwela coordinator Dr. Roselyn Abuela said in a press conference.

They have partnered with Department of Education (DepEd) in the province even before the health pandemic struck early 2020 by providing daily hot meals for three months.

They also distributed powdered milk and canned goods cooked into meals.

Abuela said they campaign for stakeholders to assist them in the feeding program to prevent dropout or absenteeism among learners, especially in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs).

She added learners in public schools will be motivated to attend school instead of attending classes with an empty stomach.

SDO Antique OIC-Superintendent Dr. Nicasio Frio said the Brigada Eskwela program prepares schools in the province for the Aug. 29 opening.

“We are forging partnership among stakeholders in the absence of resources in the schools,” he said in the same press conference.

He said DepEd Antique is counting on the help of various stakeholders, not just parents, because education is everybody’s business.

“During the pandemic, our learners had learning losses so intervention for learning recovery is really needed,” he said.

During the kickoff program, a bank donated one smart television set for Igcaputol Elementary School in Tobias Fornier town in support of the Indigenous Peoples Education Program.

Most of the learners of the recipient school are members of the Ati community.

Dr. Evelyn Remo, SDO Antique Governance and Operations Division chief, said they expect around 140,000 learners to troop to 538 public schools in Antique once classes begin. (PNA)