New school building to rise in Valenzuela

Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian led City Hall officials the other day at the groundbreaking of a 40-classroom building that will benefit some 3,000 students more when classes for schoolyear 2006-2007 open in June.

The mayor said the four-story school building that will be constructed at the premises of the Gen. T. De Leon National High School (GNHS) is another priority project that is 100 percent funded by the city government through the City Local School Board.

The project, which is expected to be completed before the opening of classes this year, is estimated to cost some P34 million.

"Like the P102-million Lingunan to Lawang Bato vehicular overpass project now ongoing construction, we take pride in delivering another 100 percent locally-funded development project for the people of the city, especially our children," said Gatchalian.

The mayor said the building’s construction is expected to lower the student-to-classroom ratio of 100:1 to a more manageable 65 students to one classroom.

The GNHS used to be administratively attached to the Marulas National High School. It later gained autonomy and has since become one of the largest schools in the city. Since opening as an independent school in June 1984, the total number of its students has almost doubled (1,981 to 3,334) over the years. This increase in population caused a severe congestion in the school which only had 24 classrooms then.

Once completed, the project will also benefit the Gen. T. De Leon Elementary School, city’s largest grade school which has a current population of some 6,000 pupils. When the current building occupied by the high school students is vacated in time for the opening of classes in June, the same will be used to accommodate the increasing number of pupils expected to enroll at the elementary school.

"Improved facilities, comfortable learning space and competent teachers are what we hope to give our children. This school building is just a part of our efforts to deliver this," said Gatchalian.

Last year, the city government built about 150 additional classrooms in different schools of the city including the Valenzuela City Science High School, the Bignay National High School and the Mapulang Lupa High School. — Jerry Botial