LACK of facilities is one of the most pressing problems in the public school system and the Salapingao National High School in Dagupan is once classic example.

Here, there are not enough chairs for the 668 students from the first to fourth year levels and so some of them have to squat on their hunches to listen to class lectures or while taking their tests.

Members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) saw this sorry condition for themselves last week when the council held its first outside session on October 24 in Salapingao, a flood-prone island barangay that is accessible only through boat.

During the SP’s visit, the councilors and their chair, Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, saw how some 40 students were taking their tests at the school’s covered court without chairs.

The entire class was squatting, except for one enterprising pupil who was able to salvage an empty case of softdrink bottles on which he sat.

The school OIC principal, Jose Cardozo, said the school has no budget to provide for the needed basic facilities.

This prompted Councilor Luis Samson Jr., chair of the SP committee on education, to sponsor a resolution requesting Mayor Benjamin Lim to immediately allocate 200 chairs for the school to be funded by the mayor’s budget.

“How can students learn when they are squatting in their class?” asked Samson, whose family owns the University of Luzon in Dagupan City.

Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, however, decided to address the problem immediately and sent 40 chairs as a donation of the Jimmy L. Fernandez Foundation, realizing that bureaucracy could delay the implementation of the SP resolution.

“The needs of the children can no longer wait so we sent 40 arm chairs right away,” she said.

The vice mayor was also requested to help put up a library that will be stocked with updated books, especially on science.

The school has only nine teachers, including the OIC principal.

Back to Homepage

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments