Urban poor youth joins Brigada Eskwela

May 27, 2012 in Baguio City, education

By ALDWIN QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — Officers and members of the urban poor youth group Panagtignay ti Nakukurapay nga Agtutubo para iti Tarigagay ti Umili a Demokrasya-Anakbayan (Pinatud-AB) participated in the annual Brigada Eskwela here this May knowing that many school chairs, windows, books and other school materials needed a fix for the students this coming school year 2012-213.

BRIGADA ESKUWELA. Parents, teachers, students and volunteers joined hands in cleaning the classrooms and repairing school materials weeks before the official start of the school year 2012-2013. Photo by Aldwin Quitasol

Pinatud is an organization of students and out-of-school youth under the urban poor alliance Organisasyon dagiti Nakukurapay nga Umili ti Syudad-Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Ornus-Kadamay). The group helped in the repairing of school walls, chairs and cleaned the school grounds and comfort rooms.

According to Pinatud Secretary-General Thelma Gallawen, this is their contribution to the Filipino youth in pursuing education amidst the sorry state of the Philippine educational system. “Awan ti maganab tayo nu urayen tayo pay ti aksiyon nga aggapu iti gobyerno ta bumayag laeng diay ket asidegen ti iskuwela, isunga nga awan sabali nga agtitinnulong nu saan a dagiti agpapaiskuwela ken dagiti tattao tapno maistimar uray kaskas-ano ada ti usaren dagiti agiskuwela,” (We will not benefit from anything if we will wait for the government’s solution because it will surely be a long wait, it is best to rely to on the cooperation of those who are sending their kids to school and the rest of the community for the pupils to have something to use) she added.

Gallawen said that they noticed many destroyed chairs and dilapidated blackboards. She added that there are many books that aside from being outdated have missing pages and some of them have no cover.

Members of Pinatud-Anakbayan help in the clean-up during the Brigada Eskwela at Bonifacio Elementary School in Baguio City. Photo by Aldwin Quitasol

Gallawen said that as part of the program of the organization, they adopted a classroom. She said that they will maintain the classroom for the whole school year and will prepare it again for the next school year. She hopes that other organizations and groups will do the same as it will be a big help to the students and the community.

According to Pinatud Chairman Hector Sucte, the implementation of DepEd’s K12 would only worsen the problems on lack of classrooms and school facilities. He said they observed these problems when they participated in the Brigada Eskwela. He said that the main building of one of the schools need major renovation as the floors are beginning to separate from the walls. He added that it is not safe for the pupils. # nordis.net