Luistro to welcome kids back to school in storm-hit areas
Education Secretary Armin Luistro. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–Education Secretary Armin Luistro and other top department officials will personally oversee the resumption of classes in some of the areas hardest-hit by Typhoon “Pablo” early last month.
Luistro and the other Department of Education (DepEd) officials will visit public schools in Region XI and the Caraga Region on Jan. 3.
They will be in Boston, Baganga and Cateel in Davao Oriental on that day when all public schools elsewhere will resume classes after the holiday break.
“The resumption of classes on-date brings back hope and normalcy to students and children in disaster-afflicted areas as soon as possible,” said the DepEd in a statement.
“Students and children are the most vulnerable of the affected people and they are the ones that need hope the most,” it said.
Thousands of students in the typhoon-hit areas will be holding classes in “tent classrooms” as nearly 900 public school classrooms were totally destroyed by Pablo.
The typhoon left in its wake 1,067 persons dead with 834 missing and feared dead and 2,666 injured.
The DepEd reported 445 public schools sustained major damage from the typhoon, with 877 classrooms completely destroyed and 355 requiring major repairs.
Baganga had the biggest number of totally destroyed classrooms at 444 in 132
public schools.
Luistro will attend the flag ceremony at Boston Central Elementary School, which lost 20 classrooms and had six others damaged.
He will also visit Boston National High School which lost 23 classrooms and suffered damage to six.
His party will then proceed to Cateel National Agricultural High School which lost 20 classrooms, to Cateel Central Elementary School, 31 classrooms, and then to Cateel Vocational High School which had 59 classrooms destroyed.
They will also go to Baganga National High School which lost 44 classrooms, Baganga Central Elementary School, 48 classrooms, and Lambajon Central Elementary School which suffered total damage to 32 classrooms with 18 others needing substantial repairs.
