'Brigada Eskwela': Collaborating for Quality Education in the New Normal

The author is Teacher III at Duquit High Schooll Earl Gringo Archedera Padul

Brigada Eskwela (BE) is a nationwide Department of Education (DepEd) program that is always held before the start of school. This year's Brigada Eskwela, which began on August 3, 2021, and will end on September 30, 2021, is being implemented by all public schools, both elementary and secondary, to prepare the schools' physical facilities, disaster resiliency, and safe living, and teaching-learning process for the Covid19 pandemic. This year's Brigada Eskwela is also more complex than the previous year because of the ongoing Covid-19 epidemic. All internal stakeholders (teachers, parents, students) and external stakeholders (LGU, youth, corporate sectors, NGO, private people, etc.) in schools are strongly encouraged to foster a culture of volunteering and collaborative efforts to promote the school's issues. The school will establish better and stronger relationships and functional linkages via Brigada Eskwela to prepare for the Covid 19 outbreak. School administrators and teachers may utilize Brigada Eskwela to seek resources and contributions from others, which can be extremely helpful in combating Covid 19. As a result, the school may save money since other partners can provide it. Brigada Eskwela will act as a focal point, particularly in implementing the Schools' Basic Education-Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP). It can significantly affect the school community by providing a good and safe atmosphere for all school employees and other stakeholders that are directly engaged in the school. It may also instill the value of sharing and assisting one another by providing donations/resources, skills, abilities, or labor for the school development and maintenance program at the start of the school year. The bottom line on reaching out to additional partners is the Brigada Eskwela 2021 theme "Bayanihan para sa Paaralan." The combined efforts of all parties involved may demonstrate a better and stronger relationship between the school and the community. Let us help Brigada Eskwela so that we can help our students' well-being. Whatever kind of support it is, it counts.