Speedy repair of 'Karding'-damaged schools sought
To prevent setbacks to 100 percent face-to-face classes this November, a group of education workers called for the speedy repair of schools that were damaged by typhoon Karding.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines on Monday, Sept. 26, urged the Department of Education (DepEd( and the Marcos administration to “quickly fix” the damages caused by “Karding” to schools, particularly in Central Luzon.
“Typhoon Karding has rendered more classrooms unusable, thereby further exacerbating classroom shortage,” said ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua.
Citing its ground monitoring, ACT said that “many classrooms” in Aurora, Quezon, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Tarlac, and Metro Manila have roofs and windows damaged by strong winds and fallen trees, or have furniture, equipment materials soaked in flood water.
Quetua expressed hope that these schools will be fixed soon so these will not add up to the number of classrooms damaged by previous typhoons that are still not repaired.
“We should get the schools back to normal operations at the soonest possible time,” Quetua said. “We hope that this will be done with the national government and the DepEd Central Office actively leading the efforts and providing the needed resources,” he said.
Quetua also expressed hope that these “tasks will not just fall on the shoulders of school heads and our teachers as before, who have been so conveniently commanded by the higher-ups to find ways on their own to resolve the problems on the ground.”
For ACT, the repair of these schools should be prioritized because “we cannot afford longer periods of class disruptions if we aim for education recovery.”
Quetua added that while teachers are always ready to heed the call of duty, “we need steadfast leadership and an enabling environment to do so.”
Meanwhile, ACT suggested the swift mobilization of the remaining P10.46 billion calamity funds for this year to immediately address the effects of “Karding” on education, agriculture, livelihood, and homes in affected provinces.
“Emergency assistance should also be given to affected families to cope with the disaster’s heavy toll on their homes and livelihood,” he added.