Parents and community folks in the remote village of Igsoro in the municipality of Bugasong this province have built six makeshift classrooms as part of the Brigada Eskwela school preparation program for use of secondary-level learners this coming school year 2022-2023.

“Our secondary school had just been approved to be opened in 2019 that we still have not received any national government funding for the construction of the school building,” said Daryl Arguelles, principal of the Bugasong Central School and in charge of the satellite Igsoro Integrated School, about 48 kilometers away from the town proper.

The approval happened close to the surge of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), hence it was unable to offer face-to-face classes.

“Since the secondary students only had modular system of learning previous years, the lack of classrooms for them was not really a problem then,” he said.

With the anticipated full swing of in-person classes this school year, they had to establish makeshift classrooms for the secondary students.

“We are grateful that the Bugasong Pag-ulikid Foundation had donated PHP100,000 for the galvanized iron sheets and other construction materials while the parents and other stakeholders donated bamboos aside from their labor,” he said.

Each of the six makeshift classrooms can accommodate 15 secondary students from Grade 7 to 10 who will be having their face-to-face classes every afternoon.

Eight school board teachers or teachers paid by the local government unit (LGU) headed by Mayor John Lloyd Pacete will handle the classes.

The school expects 167 secondary and 147 elementary students for this school year.

“The school chairs and tables were given by other schools in Bugasong that had excess furniture,” Arguelles said.

These makeshift rooms also have cement flooring with foot markings in observance of the Covid-19 health protocol.

Chairs will have a one-meter distance to help prevent infection among the students.

Arguelles said they are still tapping the assistance of other sectors in the community, to provide for the other needs of students such as thermal scanners, electric fans, and segregated waste bins. (PNA)