With just P10 a day, you can help build 10,000 classrooms.
The Department of Education (DepEd) and corporate-led education group 57-75 Movement will launch a new initiative to address the classroom backlog in public schools within two years.
The Entire Nation (TEN) Moves aims to raise P6 billion by August 2012 for the construction of standard classrooms, which cost at least P600,000 each. The program is set to be launched on Oct. 10.
“It’s P10 a day for 10 months to help build 10,000 classrooms,” said Education Secretary Armin Luistro in a recent lunch meeting with editors and reporters.
“We hope to mobilize two million people to give P10 daily. That’s P3,000 per month for 10 months,” he said.
The initiative is the latest public-private partnership aimed at addressing perennial shortages in the public school system, like classrooms, desks, books, toilets and sanitation facilities.
Luistro expects to take out of his list shortages in desks and books by the end of the year. The classroom shortage, however, is estimated at 66,000.
Under the TEN program, individuals or organizations may donate through bank accounts of the Ayala Foundation, online or by short message service (SMS). Interested donors may check www.tenmoves.org.
The project aims to “provide corporations and individuals an avenue to share resources through grants and donations” for classroom construction.
Under the umbrella initiative Bayanihang Pampaaralan led by the business community, the project will benefit some 40 school divisions with the worst shortages in resources.
“Despite the significant increase in DepEd’s budget for 2011 and the expected increase in 2012, government resources will still be insufficient to address this problem fully. That is why early this year, Secretary Luistro appealed to the private sector to help in raising resources for classrooms,” the group said on its website.
DepEd’s current P11.3 billion budget for classroom construction will build only 11,000 classrooms. The department is seeking P12.4 billion next year to continue construction efforts.