DepEd activates Oplan Balik Eskwela

The Department of Education (DepEd) formally activated yesterday preparations for the opening of classes on June 1.

As the Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE) begins, the DepEd has set up public assistance stations that would remain operational until June 6 to address concerns of parents and students.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro called on those who encounter problems with regard to enrollment to go to schools and different public assistance stations to ensure that the students will be able to attend the first day of classes.

An OBE information and action center was also activated at the DepEd head office in Pasig City to serve as the information and complaints processing and routing mechanism for the duration of the project.

Usual complaints include issues on the transfer of students from private to public schools, said DepEd assistant secretary Jesus Mateo, who heads the OBE.

“We’re doing our best to ensure the smooth opening of classes,” Mateo said in a phone interview.

Luistro earlier said the DepEd is ready to accept around 23 million students who would be returning to different public elementary and high schools across the country.

Addressing criticisms that the country still needs additional classrooms, Luistro said the reported shortages are not backlogs, but part of the annual gaps caused by movement of students.

He said that on a national scale, the number of reported gaps is minimal and that the principals and superintendents have marching orders to address these problems.

For his part, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista vowed to address some of the “gaps” being experienced in some schools in the city.

Bautista said classroom gap problems are being experienced in populated areas in districts two, five and six.

Among agencies joining the OBE Inter-Agency Task Force are the departments of energy, the interior and local government, health, national defense, public works and highways, social welfare and development, and trade and industry.

Also part of the task force are the Philippine National Police, Office of Civil Defense, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and different utility providers.

The department on Saturday concluded the nationwide Brigada Eskwela aimed at harnessing public participation to repair and hold clean-up activities in public schools.