CEBU CITY -- Public elementary pupils in the far-flung hinterlands and islands in Central Visayas will soon experience standard classrooms under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) “Last Mile School” program.
Salustiano Jimenez, OIC regional director of DepEd-7, said the department has listed 11 “last mile schools” in the region as among the priority projects under the program.
By 2020, the 11 public schools -- five in Cebu, three in Bohol and three in Negros Oriental -- will start procurement process for the construction of new school buildings that have similar standards of its look and dimension to that of the schools found in the downtown districts, Jimenez said during a forum hosted by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA-7) on Tuesday.
Siquijor schools in far-flung areas are not yet included in next year’s implementation of the program, he added.
The General Appropriations Act for next year has allocated PHP1.5 billion for last mile schools, with around PHP75 million earmarked for Central Visayas, he said.
The department has partnered with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the construction of the last mile schools, he said.
However, in those schools that have no “bid taker”, the DepEd-7 will tap local government units or the Army’s Engineering Brigades in the construction of the classrooms in far-flung areas.
Even school principals, he said, are empowered to implement last mile school projects if no contractor would dare to bid for the construction.
“Aside from the building, furniture and training for the teachers will also be provided. We will be focusing more on the instructions,” Jimenez said.
Tomas Pastor, chief of Education Support Services Division of DepEd-7, said the last mile school program under the leadership of Education Secretary Leonor Briones aims to address the predicament experienced by public schools in remote areas.
“In upland villages, schoolchildren walk several kilometers just to reach their schools. Secretary Briones not only saw the issue on the distance but also the ambiance that the children got when they reach the school where they saw makeshift facilities. The national government is now working on it so that no one gets left behind especially in giving facilities up to the last miles of the region,” Pastor said. (PNA)
