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CITY OF SAN FERNANDO: Construction of more
schoolbuildings is expected to be here in a bid to provide students
an improved environment for learning.
“This will be a continuing
project since Special Education Funds [SEF] increase yearly and we
want to use this money to address the problems in education
especially the lack of classrooms and teachers in most public
schools,” Mayor Oscar Rodriguez said in a press briefing on
Monday.
He cited a survey showing that
out of 100 children, only 70 could enroll in grade one. Out of the
70 students, only 35 managed to graduate grade six and only 15 of
them finish high school.
“We were alarmed by the
statistics and so we decided to construct 150 schoolbuildings using
the SEF funds. We want this project to be a continuing one, with the
number of classrooms increased yearly so that more students don’t
have to worry so much about spending for his or her fare going go to
school,” he said.
Rodriguez also said his
administration is focused in raising the quality of living by
addressing the issue of poverty, which is one of the reasons for the
drastic drop of enrollees in most schools.
He added that the city has saved
around P300 million for the construction of the 150 schoolbuildings
since the cost of construction materials should be cheaper now than
in the coming years.
Out of the 150 buildings, 28 are
now operational while others are expected to be finished before the
start of classes in June.
The city secured a P125-million
loan from the Landbank of the Philippines last year for the
construction of the school buildings. The P25 million was used for
the construction of the public market.
Rodriguez said he is also
anticipating the possible increase of enrollees in public schools
during the opening of classes in June due to high tuition fees in
public schools.
Scholarship programs are also
being offered for poor but deserving students here. On the other
hand, other schools now have night shift schedule for working
high-school students.
Rodriguez said he is also
planning to have a public school for college students that will
offer four-year and associate courses.
Awarded as one of the “most
business-friendly city,” he said the city should produce more
college graduates to meet the demand for employment by investors.
Another distinction the city has
earned is that of “most competitive city” in the mid-size
category.
--Joey Aguilar
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