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Thursday, June 01, 2006
Cebu City lacks teachers, space
By Linette C. Ramos
CEBU CITY -- After several years of dealing with the shortage of armchairs and desks, the Cebu City Schools Division will have an excess of chairs when classes begin next week.
But as in the previous years, the division still needs some 50 teachers and classrooms to accommodate the projected 152,000 enrollees in the elementary and high schools this school year.
Despite the shortage, the city is prepared for the school opening, City Schools Superintendent Leonilo Oliva said Wednesday.
Emergency classes are planned in case the enrolment rate exceeds the expected number of students.
To decongest public high schools, the number of students in the day high schools was also limited to what the classrooms and teachers can accommodate.
Based on results of the placement tests administered last week, only the top 300 or 400 students will be accommodated in the day high schools, while the rest will be enrolled in the night high schools.
"We observed that one of the factors that contributed to our low ratings in the national achievement tests is that there were too many students assigned to one teacher in one classroom, so there was a low absorption rate. That's what we want to improve, so will decongest the day high schools this year," Oliva said.
The division is expecting a three percent increase in the number of elementary school enrollees this year, from last school year's 91,000, and a four percent increase from last year's 56,000 high school students.
In Wednesday's Kapihan sa PIA, Oliva also reported that there is an excess of armchairs and desks this year, since supplies that were bid out in 2004 yet by the Department of Education's (DepEd) national and division offices were delivered only this month.
At the Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School, some 200 chairs are waiting to be distributed to other schools that may need them.
Other schools also reported an excess of desks and armchairs, but Oliva could not say yet how many chairs exactly are available.
At the regional level, DepEd Regional Director Carolino Mordeno said the local government units have eased the problem of the shortage of classrooms and teachers.
If it were not for the classrooms constructed by the LGUs and the teachers they hired, the regional office would have a hard time coping with the problem, he added.
"If we comply with the ideal student-classroom ratio of one is to 40, it will really be difficult for us but we are already addressing this concern with the help of the LGUS. For now, there will still be around 50 to a room," Mordeno said.
During last Tuesday's Cabinet meeting in Malacañang, Acting Education Secretary Fe Hidalgo incurred President Arroyo's ire when she reported that there was still a shortage of 6,832 classrooms. The President questioned the figure as she pointed out that her administration had implemented measures to meet the problem.
Hidalgo explained that she based her figures on a 45 to 1 student-classroom ratio.
Arroyo reminded Hidalgo that they had agreed last year to peg the ratio to 100:1 or 100 students for every classroom and to hold classes in two shifts.
Hidalgo later announced that there is no more classroom shortage, after she adjusted her figures. (Sun.Star Cebu)
(June 1, 2006 issue)
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