Deretsahan
Bayanihan in our schools
By Bebot Villar
ON June 1, there will be no more postponement. It will be green-and-go for the opening of the country’s public elementary and high schools.
This is why Department of Education (DepEd) launched this year’s edition of Brigada Eskwela in our schools to signal the readiness of the school opening.
Tapos na ang bakasyon, buckle down to work again.
It was encouraging to see officials from DepEd, police, military, local government units, non-government organizations, parents, teachers, students, joining hands to prepare the classrooms and school campuses. Of course, there were politicians who took the chance to demonstrate their affiliations, bringing cleaning materials. Salamat naman sa inyo.
Then the rest of the members of the communities also donated brooms, trash cans, gallons of paint, construction materials, snacks and a lot more to make sure that everything to make the facilities conducive to learning.
Despite the scorching heat of the sun, mataas pa rin ang energy level ng mga volunteers. They were determined to make the classrooms and surroundings clean and attractive enough for children. Parang reunion na rin nila kasabay ng kumustahan habang nagtra-trabaho.
It really was a sight to behold! It’s one of the rare times when everyone tries to do his and her share to achieve a common purpose for the children.
In the spirit of volunteerism, talagang maraming magagandang bagay na magagawa.
But the mood of the teachers, parents and volunteers in some 15 towns and cities were not exactly a joyful one. More than 20 public schools were burglarized by still unidentified robbers from January to present. They lost computer sets and other equipment while everyone was enjoying the summer vacation.
The burglarized schools were in Alaminos City, Mangaldan, Aguilar, Bugallon, Agno, Malasiqui, Bayambang, Labrador, Mabini, Sta Maria, Mapandan, Rosales, San Carlos City, Pozorrubio, Binalonan, Sual and Manaoag.
Malamang nakita ng mga magnanakaw na easy target ang mga schools lalo’t walang security guards ang mga ito. And seeing that except for some padlocks, the opportunity to steal school’s equipment presented itself. Worse, many of these schools’ windows were not protected with iron grills to prevent easy entry. Hirap na hirap na ngang humingi itong mga teachers sa DepEd or sa mga local officials ng mga computer sets para naman maging updated ang kanilang estudyante sa paggamit ng makabagong teknolohiya pagkatapos ay ganito naman ang kahihinatnan!
We all know how slow the bureaucracy works, how long it takes to request for a budget and approval to buy even the most basic equipment for the teachers so one can imagine how the rash of burglaries would seriously affect the schools’ operations in the months ahead.
Walang puso itong mga magnanakaw na ito. It didn’t matter to them that the ultimate victims of their crime are the young minds who are eager to learn in school.
In the meantime, what have our school authorities and police to prevent the recurrence of more burglaries in schools? Or more importantly, what can the successful graduates of these schools do for their alma mater?
I just wonder why no suspect has been identified and arrested to this day. Ganun ba sila kagaling? Sino ang mga kasabwat nila? Mga mama at aleng pulis, please act quickly before the rest of our schools lose all their computer equipment. Our schools are admittedly still very vulnerable.
To have more than 20 robbery incidents in public schools this year alone is alarming enough. This has not happened at anytime in the past so the number should prompt our police and school officials to decide on new security plans.
Meanwhile, mga ma’am at sir sa mga schools, please treat the schools you are assigned like your own home. Huwag nyong bigyan ng opportunity or chance itong mga suspects para pagnakawan kayo!
The parents-teachers association in every school must seriously take their role as stakeholders in the school. Government cannot fully support every school they must decide how they can cover obvious lack in the school’s operations. It should not stop with Brigada Eskwela.
For instance, they can decide to tap the barangay tanods if they cannot afford a fulltime security guard. But our tanods also need some incentives. Alam naman nating kakarampot ang kanilang honorarium sa barangay so the PTA should consider providing some incentive to make their tanods become effective force multiplier of our police.
The same should be expected from the elected officials of the towns and cities where the public schools are situated. They, more than anybody else, must also do their share to stop the rash of robberies. Kawawa ang mga bata na dapat nakikinabang sa mga computer sets na ito. Huwag puro pulitika ang isipin, magtrabaho muna!
If everybody felt good about the unity of purpose of Brigada Eskwela, they should continue the spirit of bayanihan for our schools throughout the whole year!
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