BATANGAS CITY – More than 73,000 pupils were displaced while 78 schools were totally abandoned as authorities rushed to clear the 14-kilometer danger zone around Taal Volcano yesterday.
Wilfredo Cabral, director of the Department of Education-Regio 4-A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon area), said 3,379 teachers were also affected by Taal Volcano.
“The challenge now is for these displaced learners to continue with their classes,” Cabral said during the Executive Committee meeting of DepEd here.
Based on initial discussions, two measures will be implemented to continue the regular classes of the affected pre-school, elementary, junior, and senior high school students.
First, Cabral said, school principals near the evacuation centers have been instructed to accommodate the displaced students.
Each of the displaced students will be allowed to attend the classes, depending on their grade levels.
“There will be a separate report on the performance of the displaced students so that when the time comes that they would be allowed to go back, these performance reports would just be turned over to the schools they are enrolled,” explained Cabral.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office had earlier said that it is preparing for a three-month contingency for the Taal Volcano eruption with the history of Taal Volcano erupting for more than six months.
Cabral said this is the reason why separate performance reports are important since there is a possibility that the volcano’s rumblings would reach the end of the school year.
Second, Cabral said that Temporary Learning Spaces will be set up in the evacuation centers. “We are currently conducting assessment as to how many TLS will be set up,” said Cabral.
Based on DepEd data, there are 3,379 teachers and DepEd personnel displaced by the eruption.
As part of the DepEd measures, Cabral said that the teachers in schools within the 14-kilometer danger zone will be tapped to augment the teachers in schools where the displaced students would be accommodated. (Aaron Recuenco)