DepEd: Classes in quake-affected areas may resume in 30 days

The Department of Education said on Friday it may take about a month before classes in earthquake-affected areas, including Cebu, can fully resume, as authorities continue to assess the extent of the damage from the powerful 6.9-magnitude tremor.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, DepEd Undersecretary for Operations Malcolm Garma said that the timeline for restoring school operations depends largely on how quickly reconstruction can be carried out.

“Ang tantsa mga 30 days talaga bago maka-restore (school operations) depende sa bilis ng construction," he said.

(The estimate is really around 30 days before school operations can be restored, depending on the speed of construction.)

In Bogo City, Cebu, one of the hardest-hit areas, 38 schools are believed to have sustained significant damage. However, aftershocks are delaying inspections and damage assessments.

“Kung sa Bogo City, mayroon tayong 38 schools doon. We are still undergoing assessment kasi hindi natin mapuntahan or hindi maka-assess pa dahil may aftershocks pa roon,” said Garma.

(In Bogo City, we have 38 schools there. We are still undergoing assessment because we cannot visit or assess them yet due to ongoing aftershocks.)

“Definitely, ‘yung 38 (Bogo City) schools natin could have sustained damages talaga,” he added.

(Definitely, our 38 schools in Bogo City could have sustained significant damage.)

Garma noted that recovery efforts may take some time given the severity of the earthquake.

Across all affected areas, including Regions 5, 6, and 7, DepEd has so far recorded around 5,587 classrooms with major damage.

“Yung kabuuan nung lahat ng naapektuhan ng lindol kasama na diyan ‘yung Region 5, 6, 7 at of course 7...sa ngayon, mayroon na tayong naitala na mga 5,587 na classrooms na major damage talaga," he said. 

(Across all areas affected by the earthquake, including Regions 5, 6, and 7, we have so far recorded around 5,587 classrooms with major damage.)

Some schools are already part of DepEd’s reconstruction program, while others are expected to follow in the next phase of rehabilitation.

“Maaaring ito (damaged classrooms) ay isusunod na sa pagpoprograma natin na gawin,” Garma said.

(These damaged classrooms may be included in the next round of our reconstruction program.)

To keep learning going while repairs are underway, DepEd will shift students to home-based learning, with modules already distributed to local field offices.

“Magho-homebased muna tayo at handa naman ang ating mga field offices. Naka-preposition ‘yung kanilang modules," he noted. 

(We will shift to home-based learning for now, and our field offices are prepared. Their modules have already been prepositioned.)

The earthquake, which struck Cebu and nearby provinces earlier this week, damaged thousands of schools and displaced tens of thousands of students. 

DepEd said safety inspections and damage assessments are still ongoing, and updates on class resumption and rebuilding timelines will be announced in the coming weeks.

On Thursday, DepEd announced that it will roll out modular learning and temporary classrooms to prevent prolonged learning disruptions in northern Cebu.

More than 19,000 students and 950 teachers and non-teaching personnel were affected by the quake.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said their priority is to resume learning as quickly as possible while damaged facilities are being repaired or rebuilt. —AOL, GMA Integrated News