Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara announced on Thursday that several public schools will have to delay their opening of classes, which is supposed to take place on Monday, July 29, due to extensive cleanup and repairs in the wake of storms that hit the country this week.
“Some schools will really have to postpone their openings to facilitate massive cleanup and repairs. But those that sustained minimal damages will push through with the scheduled opening,” Angara said in a statement.
The former senator turned Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary said he will release a list of schools with postponed openings by Friday, July 27. He also mentioned that regional directors will collaborate with school principals to assess their readiness for the start of classes.
“We will not force calamity-hit schools to reopen on Monday because it would be really difficult, ” Angara said mostly in Tagalog.
As of Thursday, 90 schools across nine regions (Metro Manila, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and Eastern Visayas) are affected by recent weather disturbances that hit the country.
Estimated costs for rehabilitation now stands at P630-million. At least 324 schools are also being used as evacuation centers for families displaced by the cyclones and southwest monsoon rains.
School Year 2024-2025 is slated to begin on July 29, Monday, in all public basic learning institutions across the country. –With Rolando Ng III
