Kindergarten students bring own chairs to class in Basak

Thelma Gallega, 36, carried a red plastic chair and an umbrella which she used to shield her daughter Feye Divine, 5, from the rain.

The two were on their way out of Basak Elementary School in Mandaue City on the second day of classes.

Gallega said Feye Divine sat on the red chair during her three-hour kindergarten class.

Parents brought chairs for their children knowing they would have none to sit on, she said.

The students stayed in a makeshift classroom—a tent that the Mandaue city government erected under a tree.

When asked if she liked her classroom, Feye Divine shook her head and said “No.”

Her mother said the earth floor turned muddy in the rain and students were distracted by outdoor noise and passersby.

Four more makeshift classrooms were made with sheets of plywood as wall dividers in the school gym. They were left unused when teachers found out that students could not pay attention to them amid the noise and poor ventilation.

The new school principal Maria Alao told Cebu Daily News that two kindergarten classrooms are still being built.

Instead of 45 kids to a class, due to the lack of teachers, two sections now have 50 students, Alao said.

For now, Basak has one kindergarten classroom where classes are held in shifts: from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

At least 332 kindergarten and 3,251 grade level students are enrolled in the public school. The figure is expected to rise since enrollment continues until June 30.

Alao said they need at least 80 classrooms to achieve the desired ratio of one classroom to 45 students. The school has only 48 rooms.
The school has 61 teachers but needs 17 more.

Yet Alao insists they can still compete with private schools in spite of the shortages.

She said students have different learning styles that teachers should notice. Some like to learn outside the classroom while others prefer to stay inside.

“We do our best to make the child learn. We do not stop just because we are short of resources. Our students still excel academically.”