GenSan to host national kickoff of 2018 Brigada Eskwela

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Department of Education (DepEd) personnel here have stepped up their preparations for the 2018 Brigada Eskwela, set for national launching in this city on May 24.

Mario Bermudez, assistant superintendent of the DepEd city division, said Friday the DepEd central office has selected the city as site for the formal kickoff of the annual activity, which will run until June 1.

He said DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones and other top education officials, including regional directors and division superintendents from parts of the country, will attend the event.

During the holding of the kickoff activity here, Bermudez said Secretary Briones will able to see for herself the status of local schools, especially in terms of logistics.

Bermudez said they have identified various activities, among the them the cleanup of campuses as well as the rehabilitation and repair of classrooms and other vital facilities.

Brigada Eskwela, which is also known as the “National Schools Maintenance Week,” is a voluntary initiative that brings together teachers, parents and the community to do cleanup and repairs in public schools to prepare the facilities for the June school opening.

Undertaken in all public schools every third week or last week of May, it is participated in by private organizations, individuals, national and local government agencies, local businesses, and international organizations and foundations, among others.

Volunteers paint classrooms, repair furniture and clean up the school grounds, with materials and supplies donated by the parents or by private businesses and foundations.

Bermudez reiterated that parents of learners or students are not obliged to pay any amount and schools are not allowed to impose and collect mandatory payments in line with the activity.

He added that schools are allowed to accept material and donations, but these should be properly documented. (PNA)