Paknaan to get medium-rise school building

CEBU, Philippines — Mandaue City Lone District Representative Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon, together with Department of Education Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III, inspected the site of a medium-rise school building that is soon to be constructed in Cansaga area, Barangay Paknaan.

A 12-storey, 42-classroom will be built in the area that will also serve as workshop academic center in the barangay.

Densing has been impressed by the efforts of Ouano-Dizon in looking for the best way in helping establish a learning environment, specifically a classroom setting that facilitates effective instruction and student growth.

“We are focusing on the infrastructure as a traditional way of addressing problems of the past. Though we believe that blended learning can help, face-to-face classes are still the best alternative,” he said during the inspection.

In a statement, Ouano-Dizon said that the school building is prioritized to be built in barangay Paknaan due to the increasing population in the barangay.

“Kuwang kaayo ang classrooms sa Paknaan, considering that it is the biggest barangay in Mandaue, having a population of more than 30,000. Ang mga elementary ug high school magklase na gani o two to three shifts,” Ouano-Dizon said.

The classroom shortage in the Philippines is pegged at 150,000. On top of this, 189,000 school buildings are in need of either major or minor repairs, according to DepEd.

The new school building, designed by the Department of Public Works and Highways, will be erected on a land measuring 2,000 square meters donated by the family of a businessman who is a close friend of the congresswoman and her husband, Barangay Captain Nixon “Jojo” Dizon.

Ouano-Dizon added that the donor promised to give another 1,000 square meters if the need for more school space arise in the future.

Barangay Paknaan is considered to be the biggest of all barangays in Mandaue having a population of more than 30,000 as indicated in the Philippine Statistics Authority census in 2020.

The congresswoman hopes that this project will help in solving the perennial problem on the lack of classrooms that continue to hound schools in the city.

Ouano-Dizon added that this has been her response despite recent efforts from the education department to build more school buildings, crowded classrooms remain to be a top concern in the city.

Ouano-Dizon said in the past years, schools have utilized their libraries, computer laboratories, home economics buildings and other facilities as classrooms to accommodate all students.

With this problem, she said that she pushed for the national government to consider constructing a school building in Paknaan to at least help minimize the problem of the lack of classrooms.

Ouano-Dizon added that high school students in barangay Paknaan are currently using the existing Paknaan Elementary School classroom. Its neighboring barangays, like Umapad and Alang-Alang, lack school buildings, too.

Ouano-Dizon’s brother, Cebu Provincial Board Member Jonkie Ouano, and Mandaue City Councilor Nerrissa Soon-Ruiz, also joined in the inspection.(CEBU NES)