MANILA, Philippines - In the weeks after super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) devastated parts of Visayas and Southern Luzon, the Department of Education (DepEd) prioritized ensuring personnel welfare, soonest resumption of classes, and establishment of alternative learning spaces. The DepEd and its network of partners also facilitated the delivery of tents, relief goods, generators, solar lamps and chargers, as well as the deployment of volunteers for clearing and restoration efforts. DepEd also ordered public schools to accept all student-transferees from Yolanda-affected areas even without documents.
DepEd is now calling on the private sector to adopt entire schools and help rehabilitate and rebuild classrooms and provide other needs of students in Yolanda-affected areas, through its Adopt-a-School Program (ASP). Republic Act 8525 or the Adopt-A-School Act was enacted in 1988 to provide a venue for the private sector to participate in nation-building through the public education of Filipino children. This call takes on even more urgency post-Yolanda as DepEd calls for support “towards a disaster-resilient and sustainable education.†A full kit on the Adopt-A-School program can be downloaded from www.deped.gov.ph.
The needs of students span from classrooms, water and sanitation facilities, furniture, to equipment. Donation in kind such as tents, food for feeding programs, school supplies or medicine as well as volunteers for psycho-social debriefing, storytellers, even builders are also welcome.
“The best way for kids to recover is to bring them back to their routine as soon as possible. It is not necessary to conduct formal classes right away. Let them play. Do activities. Bring them back to school, and then we can start accounting for them,†said Education Secretary Br. Armin Luistro FSC.
Interested companies may get in touch with the DepEd’s ASP team or the Office of the Undersecretary for Partnerships and External Linkages through phone numbers (02) 633-7207, 638-8637 and 638-8639 or via email aspprogram.center@gmail.com.
DepEd is also inviting companies that have committed to address the educational needs of students in Yolanda-affected areas for a MOA signing ceremony on Jan. 22, 2014 at the DepEd’s Bulwagan ng Karunungan.