DepEd to hold ‘Brigada Eskwela’ in Marawi

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) will conduct a special “Brigada Eskwela” activity in Marawi City to harness public support in the efforts to rebuild the schools affected by the five-month infighting.

“Once the military declares that it is perfectly safe for us to return, the DepEd – including myself – will go to Marawi… to check on the schools,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said in a recent media forum.

“DepEd will declare a special ‘Brigada Eskwela’ wherein we will invite all stakeholders to take part in the clean-up and repair of schools,” she added.

The event will be a joint effort between all DepEd offices nationwide, with the regional offices in Mindanao providing manpower, and Visayas and Luzon regional offices providing resources.

“I know you will be very interested because this is everybody’s concern. Marawi is going to be a very special event for us the moment we are allowed to go back. I hope you will all go, and definitely, I am going,” Briones told stakeholders during a separate forum last week.

Twenty-two out of the 69 schools in the city had been totally destroyed, requiring at least P2 billion to fund the construction of new facilities.

Briones also stressed the need to provide psychosocial assistance not just for the students but also for displaced teachers.

“If we want to restore the children’s sense of continuity of learning, we also have to restore the teachers’ welfare,” she said.