DepEd sets up help desk for school opening, LTFRB warns vs. tricycles as school service

With just one more week to go before school starts, the Department of Education has set up public assistance stations to ensure the smooth start of the school year. 

 

The DepEd on Monday posted on its Twitter account a photo of one such public assistance station with the slogan "Tara Na! Balik Eskwela Na!"

 

@DepEd_PH gears up for #BalikEskwela; sets up public assistance station to ensure smooth opening of classes on June 2 pic.twitter.com/A7jkoqXQX5

— DepEd (@DepEd_PH) May 26, 2014

 

Public Assistance Stations (PAS) are among the DepEd's preparatory measures for the opening of classes, as indicated in DepEd Memorandum 42 dated April 4.

 

Under the memorandum, the PASes will be activated up to the first week of June, and "primarily aim to address the problems commonly encountered during this period to ensure pupils or students are properly enrolled and are able to attend school by the first day of classes." 

 

Some 23 million elementary and high school students are expected to go to school on Monday.

 

Tricycles as school service vehicles

 

Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board on Monday asked school administrators to discourage the use of tricycles as school service vehicles.

 

LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez said tricycle drivers tend to allow overloading and may be prone to accidents especially when traveling along national highways.

 

"Nananawagan kami sa school administrators (na) huwag papayagan; pagbawalan ito," Ginez said in an interview on dzBB radio Monday.

 

The LTFRB is one of several government agencies preparing for the start of the new school year on June 2.

 

Ginez said they are wary of tricycles that ferry children to school but lack safety measures such as restraints.

 

In most cases, tricycles allow at least one passenger behind the driver, and the others in a cab attached to the side of the motorcycle.

 

"Talagang delikado ito pagdaan sa national highways lalo kung sobra-sobra ang sakay," he said. —Joel Locsin/KG, GMA News