Evacuation centers
TO millions of Filipinos, particularly teachers, students and parents, the use of public schools as evacuation centers during floods and other natural disasters is “unacceptable.”
Note that the government has been trying hard to improve the quality of basic education in the Philippines, which remains as one of the world’s major manpower exporters.
Without doubt, using government school buildings as temporary evacuation hubs disrupts the education of our students and pupils, according to school authorities.
“Hindi makakatulong ito (ang paggamit ng mga eskuwelahan bilang evacuation centers) sa kampanya para gumanda ang kalidad ng edukasyon sa bansa,” a retired teacher said.
That’s why he commended Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, a lawyer by profession, for ordering her field officials not to allow the use of public school buildings beyond 15 days.
Vice President (VP) Duterte is concurrently secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).
VP Duterte made the statement as an answer to a query posed by Sen. Loren Legarda during last Thursday’s Senate deliberations on DepEd’s proposed budget for 2023.
DepEd Undersecretary Revsee Escobedo said that if a school is used as an evacuation center, teachers have been instructed to use an alternative mode of learning delivery.
Thus, we cannot overemphasize the need to construct permanent evacuation centers across the country, a favorite “sparring partner” of powerful storms and typhoons.
it’s a move in the right direction as the problem of climate change continues to worsen.
