When classes resume today in 10 storm-ravaged towns of northern Cebu, the roll call will mean more than attendance: it will show who among the children survived, and who didn’t.
In three towns on Bantayan Island, classes will probably not be able to resume at all, with the mayors saying there is nothing left of their school buildings.
The Department of Education (DepEd) announced yesterday all schools in Central Visayas are supposed to resume classes.
But in northern Cebu and Bohol, teachers were told to emphasize stress debriefing to help their students heal from the trauma they experienced in the M7.2 earthquake last Oct. 15 and super typhoon Yolanda less than a month later.
DepEd 7 Director Carmelita Dulangon said that if a pupil fails to attend class, the teacher must locate him or her to find out what happened.
“We have also set up a satellite office to back up the DepEd Region 8. We tracked down the regional and division personnel. We inquired about the whereabouts of teachers and sent reports to the Central Visayas office,” Dulangon said.
DepEd’s Central Visayas office was designated caretaker of the agency’s functions in
Eastern Visayas, where a storm surge from typhoon Yolanda all but wiped out Tacloban City and devastated many other towns.
“We have also taken care of the Leyte teachers and officials who sought refuge in our office. Those are our responses,” Dulangon said.
Classes were suspended for more than two weeks after the earthquake last Oct. 15, and were just starting to resume when Yolanda struck.
These will remain suspended today in Bantayan Island, where all the classrooms, tables, chairs and other school equipment were destroyed.
Mayors in the three towns of the island (Bantayan, Madridejos and Santa Fe) need tents and construction materials to build makeshift classrooms.
In 10 other northern Cebu towns also hit hard by typhoon Yolanda, classes are supposed to resume today as scheduled.
But Dr. Arden Monisit, provincial schools division superintendent, clarified that does not mean the usual classroom activities will be done.
Operation
He urged teachers to gather their students, check the attendance and talk about what they went through during the quake and typhoon.
Just an hour will do as long as the students are gathered, Monisit said. The Deped will also launch “Operation Where Are You?” today as part of the resumption of classes.
Other municipalities Deped identified as having been hit hard by Yolanda in the north are Sogod, Borbon, Tabogon, San Remegio, Medellin, Daanbantayan, San Francisco, Tudela, Poro and Pilar.
Monisit said all the school heads of the 13 towns, including those in Bantayan, were informed during a meeting to resume classes today.
But in Sta. Fe town in Bantayan Island, Mayor Jose Esgana said all the classrooms were
destroyed and they still have to provide tents and makeshift classrooms.
He decided to postpone classes for the safety of the students. Their parents, he added, are also busy trying to meet their daily needs.
Parents, help
Bantayan Mayor Christopher Ian Escario said only one school will resume classes today, the Sylvino Du School.
He believes most of the students are not psychologically ready. About 90 percent of the classrooms were destroyed.
The mayor also requested a representative from the Capitol, so they can more easily relay what the town needs.
Madridejos Mayor Salvador Dela Fuente said he still has to meet the teachers and other school officials today to talk about the classroom situation.
Salvador said 14 public and three private schools in his town which were damaged. He appealed to parents to help clean up and rebuild the schools.
Dulangon said the DepEd has to consolidate their reports before reporting how much damage the school system’s infrastructure suffered in northern Cebu.
She commended the initiative of the division superintendents of the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Danao to help shoulder the repair expenses for damaged public schools in the north.
But for today, the priority is clear: Find out how many of your students made it, and help them cope.
