DepEd, PAGCOR turn over school buildings in Tarlac

In its continued preparation for the full implementation of K to 12, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) turned over 30 new classrooms to Tarlac National High School (TNHS), April 17.

President Benigno Aquino III said that the government upgraded the standards of classrooms to ensure the safety of the students. He said, "Sa pagpapagawa ng mga silid-aralan, sistematiko at disente ang pagtugon sa mga pangangailangan ng mga mag-aaral. At maagap na tinutukoy kung saan itatayo ang mga pasilidad sa iba't ibang komunidad."

DepEd Secretary Br. Armin Luistro said, “Ang PAGCOR ay isa sa pinakamalaking partner ng DepEd. Ito po ay ilan lamang sa napakaraming classrooms na naipatayo ng PAGCOR.”

He said that Deped and its education partners are committed to deliver what the Filipino learners deserve. He added, “This is a collaborative work of education partners showing commitment to quality education for Filipino learners.”

Aside from the classrooms, PAGCOR has also allocated an additional P3 billion to fund the Matuwid na Daan sa Silid-Aralan School Building Project, bringing the total funding of PAGCOR for school building program to P10 billion. PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Cristino Naguiat, Jr. said the additional funding will ensure that more public schools in far-flung communities will have new classrooms.

The classroom building project, launched in June 2011, supports the administration’s goal of providing more learning spaces for students in public schools nationwide.

As of February 2015, a total of 1,124 classrooms have been completed under this project, 2,205 classrooms are either undergoing construction or procurement, and 1,034 classrooms undergoing validation in various sites around the country.

Gearing up for K to 12 full implementation

"Nakatutok na po tayo sa matagumpay na implementasyon ng ating K to 12 basic education program,” Aquino said.

Aquino added, "Ngayong may K to 12 na, alam naman po nating kakailanganin ang maraming bagong guro para sa bagong antas ng Senior High School. Maaari pong gawing opsiyon ng ating mga guro sa kolehiyo ang pagtuturo dito. Bukod dito, inilalatag na rin natin ang pagpapatupad ng inisyatiba upang suportahan ang mga guro sa State Universities and Colleges na gustong kumuha ng masters at doctoral degree habang nagaganap ang transisyon dito sa K to 12."

Luistro said, “Sa susunod na dalawang taon, ang TESDA ang isa rin sa mga pinakamalaki nating partner sa Senior High School. Ang TESDA centers ay gagamitin din natin bilang technical-vocation laboratories.”

This year, DepEd together with education partners will build more than 40,000 classrooms as it continues to gear up for the K to 12 full implementation in 2016.