School renovation project amplifies potential of deaf community
IN THE century-old Philippine School for the Deaf (PSD) in Pasay City, the senior high school laboratory building serves as the training ground for students. Its classrooms and halls, no matter how old, have always played their role in honing and preparing deaf students to have solid career prospects after PSD.
Amidst the competing priorities within the school and the broader Philippine educational system, the facility barely had enough funds for the rehabilitation and major repairs it needed. For years, students and teachers worked around issues ranging from dim lighting and leaking roofs to uneven floors. These not only presented structural concerns but also hindered the overall learning experience of students.
“Our deaf learners need special accommodation to fulfill their special educational needs. They need to have a conducive learning environment so we can optimize the activities and learning programs,” Shery Funcion, principal of PSD, stressed.
For Ms. Funcion, the 2023 collaborative project of the Henry Sy Foundation, SM Foundation (SMFI), and the Department of Education’s Schools Division Office of Pasay City could not have come at a better time.
“The rehabilitation of the Home Economics (HE) laboratories is crucial because students need to fulfill their performance tasks. These are vital components of our senior high school program to ensure that they acquire essential skills and competencies for employment post-graduation from PSD,” she said.
Through the collaboration, PSD has been provided with the muchneeded facilities in dressmaking, beauty care, cookery, electrical, bartending, food and beverage preparation, ICT, and dance.
PSD’s Henry Sy. Sr. building serves as a great beginning that will help pave equal opportunities and create a future where deaf students’ abilities will shine within and beyond the four walls of classrooms, Ms. Funcion said.