SCHOOL OPENING. Learners at Rombang Elementary School in Belison town, Antique province attend their classes despite the rain early Monday morning (Aug. 22, 2022). Eric Cortejo, Department of Education Schools Division of Antique Information officer, said at least 140,000 learners are enrolled in the province for the school year 2022-2023. (PNA photo by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The moderate to heavy rain showers in Antique failed to stop the around 140,011 enrolled learners in 611 private and public schools in the province from attending the opening of classes on Monday.
Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Antique information officer Eric Cortejo, in an interview Monday, said although there were schools that failed to hold their flag ceremony because of the rain, others decided to push through with the flag rites inside their classrooms.
“Learners as well as their parents were overjoyed with the opening of classes,” he said.
He said learners were excited to meet their teachers and classmates while parents expressed happiness that their children are again back in their schools.
DepEd principals and teachers also prepared well for the school opening after the face-to-face classes were temporarily suspended for more than two years due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
"DepEd principals and teachers are confident that they had prepared well for the opening of classes because of the Brigada Eskwela (school preparation) having been supported by the stakeholders,” he said.
Through the Brigada Eskwela, classrooms and school premises were repainted anew and cleaned to welcome the learners.
The learners in the province consisted of 71,890 male and 68,121 female, comprising 83 percent of the 168,007 target enrollment for this school year.
DepEd data showed that 12,706 are enrolled in private schools while 126,495 are in public schools.
Cortejo said police officers who were deployed in different schools in the province assisted learners as they cross the streets going towards their schools.
DepEd Antique has also activated its public command center chaired by Antique Schools Division Superintendent Felisa Beriong to respond to inquiries from parents and learners from various schools in the province.
“The learners were also observed to strictly adhere with the Covid-19 health protocol and their teachers providing them face masks if they do not have one,” he said. (PNA)
