A grade four pupil of Mandaue City Central School can now heave a sigh of relief as they now have a new classroom.
Jeson Batiller, the sixth among the brood of 10, told Cebu Daily News their old classroom gets flooded easily because rainwater passes through a hole near their teacher’s desk, collecting onto the floor of their classroom.
Batiller said they would immediately stop their classes to scoop floodwater out of their classroom to prevent damage to chairs, tables and books.
But after the turnover of the three-story six-classroom school building last Tuesday, Batiller said he can now concentrate on his studies.
The building is equipped with toilets in each level.
Batiller, 10, a resident of barangay Alang-alang, Mandaue City, said the new schoolbuilding would encourage them to study harder.
Batiller, who aspires to become a teacher, said his liking for the teaching profession began when he was still much younger wherein he conducted classes for his playmates in a makeshift structure they built.
The Aboitiz Foundation, in coordination with the Mandaue City government, donated the new schoolbuilding.
Jon Ramon Aboitiz, president of the Aboitiz Foundation, said the foundation believes that the new classrooms will help bring positive effects in the children’s education.
Aboitiz said the children are the only hope for the nation’s future.
“We believe that education is one of the best things that we could give to a child and if we don’t help them properly, what chance will they have in the future?” he said.
Aboitiz said 60 percent of the budget of the foundation goes to educational projects like classrooms, teacher trainings and scholarships, among others.
The foundation has alloted P40 million for the construction of 45 classrooms and the remaining balance will be shouldered by the Mandaue City government under the public-private partnership agreement.
The 30 classrooms were already turned over to the different beneficiary schools in the city during the past two years.
Mayor Jonas Cortes said the P6 million worth of classrooms turned over on Tuesday will be a great help to the students.
“Daku kaayo ni og impact sa atong kabataan kay it will address the shortage of classrooms,” Cortes said.
He said his administration’s aim is to have 46 students in a classroom. Currently, some of the city’s public schools have to divide their two classrooms into three to accommodate other sections.
“Education is the best weapon to fight poverty,” he added while saying that people may acquire a lot of materials things but it will just fade away unlike education. /REPORTER JUCELL MARIE P. CUYOS