COTABATO CITY—Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) Minister Mohagher Iqbal has pledged to address the current situation regarding flood-affected schools, which has disrupted the regular classes of Bangsamoro learners.
Iqbal disclosed Monday, Sept. 12, that other than the pandemic, the Ministry is also facing problems with flooded schools due to recent torrential rainfall in different parts of the region.
He said the MBHTE is currently looking for immediate solutions to avoid the risks of accidents during floods and reduce the disruption of school operations in flood-prone areas.
“Halos taun-taon ay problema natin ang pagkakaroon ng baha kaya hinanapan namin ito ng paraan kung paano ba ma-solusyunan. For a long term consideration, dati-rati ang mga disenyo ng mga eskwelahan ay pare-pareho, pero ngayon binabago na at inaayos,” Iqbal said.
After more than two years of online distance learning, there are school buildings that need reconstruction and repair, particularly in the most affected areas such as schools in Cotabato City and Special Geographic Area (SGA) in North Cotabato.
“More than two years na walang nangyaring face-to-face classes, kaya pina-survey natin yong mga eskwelahan na nangangailangan ng repair. Maganda naman dahil meron tayong budget nito for immediate repair,” Iqbal noted.
The Minister also mentioned that in order to minimize disruption of regular classes, including physical damage to school properties and equipment, the MBHTE had already conducted a series of surveys and monitored flooded schools.
While some of the school buildings were temporarily unused due to flooding, the schools’ administrators and teachers found alternative ways to provide venues to teach the Bangsamoro learners.
Meanwhile, as the Ministry continues to advocate its mission, which is to assure that “No Bangsamoro Child Shall Be Left Behind”, schools in Tawi-Tawi Province received cash aid to support them in purchasing school essentials.
“Sa Tawi-Tawi, may sampong schools na nakatanggap ng Php100,000.00 para sa mga malalaking skwelahan at Php10,000.00 para sa naman sa maliliit na mga paaralan,” Iqbal said, adding that another Php300,000.00 cash aid was provided to higher education in the island.
Further, he said other schools across BARMM will receive the cash assistance earmarked for the same purpose. (Johaira Sahidala/BIO)
