QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista said on Sunday the city is well prepared for the June 5 school opening, with police, barangays and various frontline city government offices already mobilized to ensure the safety and security of all city students, especially those enrolled in public schools.
He called for heightened police visibility to ensure the orderly opening of classes a week from now, saying the security of the students must continue to be a priority of the city government.
He tasked Quezon City Police District’s Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar to deploy more cops on the streets for foot and mobile patrol duties to thwart any untoward incidents during the school opening.
Elmo San Diego of the Department of Public Order and Security said traffic plans are all set for the first day of classes of the students.
Traffic enforcers will be fielded near schools, especially at intersections and pedestrian lanes, to assist students in crossing the streets.
San Diego said pedestrian markings are being repainted in preparation for the school opening.
Apart from the city’s security and traffic plans, Bautista assured the city would have enough classrooms to accommodate students enrolled in the different public elementary and secondary schools.
The city government, on orders of Bautista, is rushing the construction of 20 new school buildings with 322 additional classrooms in preparation for the increase in student population and influx of students for the K-to-12 program.
The new classrooms, if completed, would bring to 640 the total number of classrooms built by the city government since Bautista’s assumption into office in 2010.
“Hopefully, with the completion of these additional school buildings, we can reduce the student-to-classroom ratio in a more manageable proportion, especially in schools located in the city’s second district,” Bautista said.
Based on a report submitted by the division of city schools, of the 357,348 enrollees for 2016-2017 school year, District II constituted the most number of enrollees in both elementary and secondary levels with 116,985 students.
The city’s local school board also initiated workshops and seminars for teachers in all educational tracks or areas, said Dr. Ligaya Regis, chief of School Governance and Operation Division of the Division of City Schools.
Regis said the city government is 100 percent supportive to educational programs and projects of schools to make the students globally competitive at par with international standards.
The city government also shelled out funds for physical and structural beautifications of schools to make learning more conducive.
The city is home to 96 public elementary and 46 high schools, the most number public schools in the National Capital Region, with the largest number of students enrolled in Metro Manila.