Marawi school opening moved back 2 weeks

An evacuated child is carried by a Philippine soldier in Marawi on the southern island of Mindanao on May 31, 2017, as fighting between government forces and Muslim militants rages on the ninth day.Philippine security forces have killed 89 Islamist militants during more than a week of fighting in a southern city but the gunmen are still offering strong resistance and holding hostages, the military said on May 31. / AFP PHOTO / TED ALJIBE

The resumption of classes in Marawi City and in eight districts nearest to the armed conflict has been pushed back by two weeks to further ensure the safety of students, teachers and other employees of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Wednesday arrived at the decision following an emergency meeting in Cagayan de Oro City with regional directors, schools division superintendents and DepEd officials in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to assess the current situation in Marawi City.

“We reviewed our decision after seeking the advice of the chair of the National Security Council and after receiving and studying reports from our Disaster Risk Reduction Management Service team and DepEd officials in Mindanao,” said Briones.

She explained that the postponement of the opening of classes in Marawi City and in the eight other districts in Lanao del Sur was for the security of students and DepEd personnel and not because the schools in these areas would be used as evacuation centers.

Classes in public elementary and high schools in the rest of the country are set to officially start on June 5.

Briones also noted that classes in the affected schools in Marawi and nearby areas would still end on April 6, 2018 despite the postponement of the start of classes. — JOCELYN R. UY