ILOILO CITY – Schools across Iloilo province have to make to do with what they have as school year 2023-2024 opens on Tuesday, August 29.
HENRY Gulmatico Mota (right), principal of Cagamutan Elementary School in Leganes town, Iloilo province, discusses matters related to the school opening with teacher Sheryll Mae Moreño. (Tara Yap)
“We actually need new chairs, but there’s no budget for new chairs. So, we have to find other ways,” said Henry Gulmatico Mota, principal of the Cagamutan Elementary School in Leganes town.
During the long weekend, Mota was at school supervising repair of armchairs and ensuring all is ready for the start of the new school year.
Mota told Manila Bulletin that problems faced by Cagamutan Elementary School is fairly minimal compared to central schools which are usually in the town center.
Not only armchairs are needed across the province that consists of 42 towns and the component city of Passi.
Data from the Department of Education (DepEd)-Iloilo said the province needs 1,652 classrooms.
Dr. Ernesto Servillon Jr., DepEd-Division of Iloilo schools superintendent, said the fifth district is in need of the most number of chairs with 449.
Schools in the first district need 302 classrooms, 297 classrooms in the second district, 385 classrooms in the third district, and 219 classrooms in the fourth district.
Servillon said that additional teachers are also needed.
Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. assured DepEd-Iloilo that there’s funding for classroom construction and repair.