PINANGUNAHAN ni Vice President at outgoing Education Secretary Sara Duterte ang ceremonial kick-off ng “Brigada Eskwela 2024” sa Cebu City, araw ng Miyerkules, Hulyo 17.Sa kanyang naging talumpati, pinalawig ni Duterte ang kahalagahan ng Brigada Eskwela.
“Some of us might think of cleaning doors and repainting walls or giving out donations, such as books and school supplies. But I assure you, it is much more than that,” ayon kay Duterte.
“‘Brigada’ comes from the military term brigade, which means a group of people organized for a special mission. Today, our special activity goes beyond just organizing an event. It is about bringing the MATATAG Agenda to life outside the confines of our classrooms by putting the ‘eskwela’ in ‘brigada’,” aniya pa rin.
Sa ilalim ng temang, “Bayanihan Para sa MATATAG na Paaralan,” binigyang diin ni Duterte ang kapangyarihan ng ‘partnership’ para pangalagaan ang matibay at malakas na ‘educational environments.’
“We are all here to prove that with the power of partnership, it builds walls to strengthen, not to divide. Today, we have a total of 72 partners standing strong with us in ‘bayanihan’ para sa MATATAG na Paaralan,” lahad nito.
Muling isinatinig ng Department of Education (DepEd) ang commitments nito sa ilalim ng “MATATAG Agenda: Bansang Makabata, Batang Makabansa,”binalangkas ni Duterte ang mga pangunahing prayoridad para sa paparating na school year.
“We have made many strides to resolve basic education challenges,” ayon kay Duterte.
Winika pa ni Duterte na para sa School Year 2023-2024, binibigyang-diin ng Basic Education Report na gawing ligtas ang mga eskuwelahan para sa mga bata, palakasin ang mekanismo sa pagbabantay sa mga mag-aaral laban sa lahat ng uri ng karahasan, diskriminasyon at panganib, at bigyang-diin ang kapakanan ng mga mag-aaral, mangyayari kung kapit-kamay sa promosyon ng ‘inclusivity’ sa eskuwelahan.
“Building on what we have accomplished in the past, DepEd renews its commitments for School Year 2024-2025, and we understand that we cannot do this alone, that to achieve we must muster the support of many, of like-minded people, and dedicated people,” aniya pa rin.
Pinuri naman ni Duterte ang pagsisikap ng DepEd sa paghahanda sa bawat school year, partikular na sa pamamagitan ng Brigada Eskwela.
“In the 2023 edition, we amassed a total of P5.56 billion in resources, including volunteer man-hours and materials. This demonstrates that there is strength in numbers, and even greater strength when we come up and show up together,” ang tinuran ni Duterte.
Aniya pa, ang Brigada Eskwela ay hindi lamang para tugunan ng kaukulangan ng eskuwelahan kundi para ipakita ang ‘social and cultural importance’ ng pagsasama-sama.
“And this bayanihan will be put to waste if we do not continue to show what MATATAG means in our own little way,” aniya pa rin.
“Let us hope that our learners will be ready for the opening of classes and for the challenges that they will be facing. As they look at the four walls around them, may they be reminded not just of the resources that are provided but of the bayanihan experience that we shared,”dagdag na wika ni Duterte. (Daris Jose)
