Brigada Eskwela or the National School’s Maintenance Week is here again. This is usually conducted two (2) weeks before the actual opening of classes. For the school year 2016-2017, Brigada Eskwela will be on May 30 to June 4, 2016 with the theme “ Tayo Para sa Paaralang Ligtas, Maayos at Handa Mula Kindergarten Hanggang Senior High School”. This is a program of the Department of Education which engages all school stakeholders to prepare all public schools in the country ready for the opening of classes. Brigada Eswela encourages Bayanihan at the school level. It is an avenue to involve the community and share in the responsibility of providing a safe and disaster –prepared school environment to our learners. A safe environment would redound to better performance of school personnel and especially learners. The involvement of the community in the Brigada Eskwela increases the awareness of the people that the educational achievement and safety of learners in the country is everybody’s accountability. Awareness of the challenges at the school level inspires the people to co-own these problems and become an active participant in the solution of these problems.
Snap salute is given to communities, organizations, institutions and individuals who are actively involved in helping the public schools become a child and environment friendly institution. The involvement of the community does not only create a safe and friendly school environment but also contributes in the human capital investment specifically in the holistic development of the learner. Participating in school activities like Brigada Eskwela is one way of modelling responsible citizenship and patriotism. Rendering public service without expecting anything in return and sharing resources and skills is already a strategy to teach our young people without the lengthy method of lecturing. Once our children imbibe the value of education, the greatness of taking their schoolmate/classmate as their responsibility and considering their schools as their own will make them as our greatest and most valuable asset. Our public schools are the second home of our children. Hence, let us protect our schools because these are ours, the people and community owns them. Any destruction done to any of our schools is the loss of the people in the community not the school nor the teachers and other personnel working in the school. Therefore, we urge everyone to watch over our schools, inculcate to our children that we are the owners of our schools thus we are obliged to protect, take care, maintain/repair and to report any incidence seen that may be disadvantageous to our schools. Together, let us educate our children to seek and work for quality education and instil in them that the role of education in the development of man and society is indispensable. As always stated, educated people have greater chances of economic development for economic development is the function of quality education. Joan Bilabil
