The Department of Education (DepEd) needs P446 million for the reconstruction or repair of schools that were affected by the shear line and low pressure area (LPA) in Mindanao.
DepEd Spokesperson Michael Poa told reporters in an interview on Friday, Jan. 13, that around 58 schools were reported to have infrastructure damages due to the continued flooding. The estimated cost for the affected schools is P446 million.
In a mix of English and Filipino, Poa explained the main focus of DepEd field offices is to do clean-ups. “They are cleaning the schools so the students can go back to schools as soon as possible, safely,” he added.
Meanwhile, Poa said that DepEd Central Office is also waiting for additional information from the regional offices. “As far as temporary learning spaces are concerned, we are now collating data from the field how many are needed so they can be given as soon as possible,” he explained.
With classes still suspended in schools that have infrastructure damages, Poa said that the affected students are under alternative delivery modalities.
“Our protocol is that if it is not safe for the learners to go back to their in-person classes, we will implement alternative learning delivery modes - whether it be online or offline or modules,” Poa said.
Likewise, Poa said that the Central Office will also get the information from the affected schools should they need to implement “remediation classes or other forms of intervention” so the learning losses among students will not get worse.
The latest data also showed that there are 33 schools currently being used as evacuation centers.