In the midst of pandemic: Partnership in the delivery of quality education
By Jerome H. Baldemoro, PhD
Senior Education Program Specialist
Social Mobilization and Networking
The unstoppable challenge brought by COVID-19 Pandemic for a year and half now did not hamper the 2021 Brigada Eskwela and Brigada Pagbasa Program Implementation. Brigada Eskwela elevated its operation from the traditional concept of physical cleaning, painting, and doing minor repairs in school, instead prioritized preparation and strengthened partnership engagement to ensure that quality basic education and the delivery of different distance learning modalities will continue despite the challenge posed by COVID-19 Pandemic.
Brigada Eskwela 2021 has evolved into a brand-new packaging but still built around the same spirit of camaraderie all in the name of education.
In its effort to bring the spirit of the Adopt-A-School Program to the community level and maximize civil participation and utilize local resources to improve the public schools, DepEd Naga City Division enjoined with the Department of Education to launch the National Schools Maintenance Week last September 3, 2021 dubbed as Brigada Eskwela with the theme “Bayanihan para sa Paaralan”. The program brought together stakeholders to support the initiative by continuously donating health essentials like thermal scanners, alcohol, hand sanitizing equipment or materials, facemasks and face shields, printing of COVID-19 sanitation and proper handwashing hygiene information materials to aid Brigada Eskela and Brigada Pagbasa in introducing protection and health protocols to learners and teachers.
Our diligent school heads have taken the lead in planning the activities geared toward making schools ecologically conscious, resilient, clean and safe, while their dynamic teachers have also offered their time and shared their skills to address the most pressing concerns of the school.
Brigada Eskwela also engaged partners in the promotion and provision of learning options such as local radio and TV stations as we continue to deliver educational programs like Radyo Aralan and TV-SineEskwela Programs. Also, printing of Self-Learning Modules for distance learning as form of partnership to deliver the basic education curriculum in the time of pandemic.
In partnership with Brigada Eskwela, the Brigada Pagbasa Orientation was conducted last October 2021, aimed to focus on reading ability and comprehension of the learners. Brigada Pagbasa ensured that every learner should develop reading habit and master reading while at home due to the unstoppable COVID-19 situation in the area.
Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic, Adopt-a-School Program through brigada eskwela gained support from the stakeholders and other private partners which brought out immeasurable success to our division which generated resources gathered from the public schools summed up to P 260 Million pesos’ worth of projects and interventions against the P77 million generated resources of last year.
Strong partnership with Local Government Units, National Government Agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations, and other stakeholders made these efforts realized. The month-long activity started with an orientation and workshops to come up with concrete school plan in building strong community partnership. To invite more volunteers and participate in resource mobilization, the following activities were conducted; B.E. enrichment or kids tutorial, Brigada Pagbasa, medical and dental missions, PTA Entrepreneurial Livelihood activities, Radyo Eskwela and TV Aralan.
With grateful acknowledgment to the Office of the Vice President Leni Robredo, Cong. Gabby Bordado Jr., LGU Naga, Public School Districts Supervisors, School Heads, teachers, parents, community partners and other stakeholders may God Bless you with abundant blessings to continuously confer your support to the Adopt-a-School Program and other partnership initiatives of DepEd Naga. Recognition of Best Implementing Schools Awarding, Stakeholders’ Convergence and Appreciation day were conducted last December 14, 2021 at the Avenue Plaza Hotel.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has.” – Magaret Mead