Body to assess structural integrity of school buildings

The structural integrity of at least 49,000 public school buildings in the country will soon be assessed by a special body the Department of Education has created with the help of other government agencies.

The body is called Task Force Assist, the last word of which stands for Assessment of School buildings' Structural Integrity and Stability.

Helping DepEd in this undertaking are the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Department of National Defense, the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Engineering Brigade, the Association of Structural Engineers and the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers.

Task Force Assist has been created to ensure that students are provided with safe, stable, and secured learning environment, and to prevent deterioration of school buildings.

The DepEd said the task force will conduct periodic assessments and inspections of structural strength and load-bearing capacities of school buildings.

The task force will then identify school buildings that are no longer safe for occupancy and may recommend for either demolition or major repair or rehabilitation of buildings, the DepEd said.

DepEd officer-in-charge Fe Hidalgo has earlier asked private and public schools to inspect the structural conditions of their school buildings for the safety of the students. - Jasmin R. Uy