Classes still go on in Dalaguete school

CEBU - Classes continue at the Dalaguete National High School in Dalaguete town following the fire the other day that caused P5 million in damage.

It was Sunday morning when the administration building of DNHS was gutted by a fire that destroyed 40 computers, furniture, appliances and all the records of students and the campus, all estimated at P3 million.

The building alone, built in the 1950’s, underwent renovation in 2000 and was worth P2 million. This one-story building held five offices; the Principal’s Office, the Faculty Office, the Guidance Councilor’s Office, the Accounting office and the clinic.

DNHS principal Luis Carin said records of students from 1947 up to the present were lost.

“Sa karon, ang pwede nato mabuhat ana is magpahimo og affidavit,” said Carin. He said that for the records at the accounting office, they could ask copies from the Department of Budget and Management.

Carin said the incident will not affect the quality of education they give their students. Classes will go on until the Department of Education gives them new buildings. Right now, they are using a classroom as a temporary office.

Carin said they will just wait for the DepEd to build the three-roomed classroom it promised them even before the accident occurred. The Provincial Office has also pledged two classrooms for DNHS.

The gutted remains of the building shall be demolished.

A meeting held yesterday with the principal and 55 teachers of DNHS decided that everybody will contribute so they could buy at least one computer and reapply for a telephone that they will use to continue operations in the school.

DepEd has yet to decide on the actions it will take. The Accreditation Examination that was postponed due to the accident has no schedule yet since the main office in Manila has not forwarded any feedback.

Emilian Elnar Jr., assistant chief of the Alternative Learning System Division said the next two Sundays are already scheduled for accreditation exam in other venues in the country. He said they have to assess first for the next venue which would mean another expenses.

The test is designed to measure the competency of elementary and high school drop-outs, passers will receive a diploma certifying they are as competent as a high school graduate.

Consolacion National High School requested that the venue be split between north and south so they will not have to spend much just to transport their students.

CNHS spent P15,000 to send 80 students to Dalaguete last Sunday just to be disappointed of the postponement due to the fire. There were 1,300 students who were supposed to take the accreditation exam that day.

The construction of new building in DNHS will depend on the endorsement from the Physical Facilities Division assigned to investigate the matter. 

Elnar said they are still waiting for the official report on the investigation. DepEd Acting Director Recaredo Borgonia is still out of town so the Department could not decide alone but Elnar said the director already knows what happened. — Jessica Ann R. Pareja/BRP (THE FREEMAN)