Kabuntalan schools ready for evaluation

COTABATO CITY --- The public elementary and junior and senior high schools in the municipality of Kabuntalan are now ready for the upcoming evaluation of the Department of Education’s (DepED) Maguindanao District in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Mally B. Lauban, school principal of Kabuntalan National High School, said the DepED is slated to conduct an evaluation of selected schoolds in the town on December 7, 2016.

“This is part of strengthening the advocacy of the department to ensure that schools are providing quality education for the students and we are ready for that,” she said.

Lauban said that at present, Kabuntalan has eight public elementary school, one junior high school, and one  senior high school.

“Currently we have more than 800 enrollees in both junior and senior high schools,” said Lauban.

Salaban Diocolano, municipal mayor of Kabuntalan, said the local government is supporting the education sector with the provision of school volunteers funded by the local government unit.

“We have 38 school teacher vounteers for public elementary schools, six for junior high school, and two for senior high schools. These volunteers are paid by the LGU of Kabuntalan,” said Diocolano.

Meanwhile, the DepED-ARMM leadership said in a previous interview that it is bound to upgrade the condition of various elementary and secondary public schools from all over the region.

DepED-ARMM Secretary Dr. John Magno said they have trained school officials on proper classroom construction management.

“They have to learn even the basic concepts of construction and make familiar with various building designs as well as identify quality construction materials. They have to learn these skills so they could be to help in monitoring the construction of classrooms in their respective schools,” said Magno.

He said the training of school officials in classroom construction management is one of their strategies for the safety of its end-users, the children.

Magno said that by year 2017, public elementary and secondary schools from across the autonomous region shall be entitled to the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE).

“Schools shall soon receive their monthly MOOE to further sustain expenses for utilities such as electric and water bills, procurement of school supplies, salaries for janitors and security personnel, and cover other expenditures,” he said.

Accordingly, the MOOE could be used in the procurement of school supplies needed in classroom teaching, school training activities, utilities and communications expenses, graduation rite expenses, and minor school repairs.

To date, there are at least 2,150 public elementary schools, and 304 secondary schools in the ARMM. (GILMHAR A. LAO & ANNE ACOSTA - MINDANAO EXPOSE’)