Students, teachers pitch in to build more classrooms

Even public school students and teachers are pitching in to build more classrooms for public schools under The Entire Nation ( TEN) Moves campaign spearheaded by the private sector. The target: build ten thousand classrooms all over the country from a ten-peso donation a day from two million donors for ten months.

TEN Moves cash donations and pledges as of June 20 of this year total to P18.3 million.

Secretary Luistro said that the Ayala Foundation, on behalf of the 57- 75 Education Reform Movement, has released part of the funds to the Philippine Business for Social Progress for the construction of a two-storey, four-classroom school building at the Indahag National High School in Cagayan de Oro. Another two-storey, four-classroom school building will be funded by TEN Moves at the Angelico Medina Memorial Elementary School in Iligan. Both schools are located near relocation sites for evacuees of tropical storm Sendong in December 2011.

Bayanihang Pampaaralan, the mother campaign of TEN Moves, reports the total number of classrooms pledged as of May 31 counts to 2,741 classrooms, of which 880 have already been built.

Luistro said some 17 public elementary and secondary schools including the University of the Philippines- College of Education have started the bandwagon of pooling resources to build more classrooms.

“These students and teachers have come up with novel ways of pooling resources, driven by the spirit to help one another by building classrooms for others,” Luistro said.

In one of the collection schemes, some seven teachers and 150 students drop their loose change from their allowance in a tin can everyday. “Mapalad kami at may mga nadating sa aming

resources so we share, kasi nakikita naman natin sa

news na madaming school ang nangangailangan talaga,” said Lorrain Sangalang, principal of Suqui Elementary School in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro.

In Pinagkawitan National High School in Lipa, Batangas, TEN Moves coordinator Joan Lonina said they agreed to collect every month from the faculty and school staff, who were divided into three groups, each with five to six members. “Kinakailangan po talagang magtulungan kaya okey ang TEN Moves,” she said.