Bohol's 1st high school conducts classes in gym

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines   â€” Classes were conducted in a gymnasium. This was how the school year opened at Dr. Cecilio Putong National High School (DCPNHS), the first secondary school in the province once known as the Bohol National High School.

The school's gymnasium was divided into ten makeshift classrooms where classes are being held simultaneously. The classrooms, side by side each other, are separated by plywood as temporary walls, an inconvenient setting because voices from one "room" is heard at the other.

DCPNHS principal, Concepcion Bagotchay, admitted that lack of classrooms is still a problem, but this time would be different due to a forthcoming solution before the year ends.

Bagotchay said the school is expecting a three-storey building to be donated by PAGCOR, the construction of which could start anytime this year. It will have a total of 12 classrooms, as each floor will have four classrooms.

As of now, the school is still completing the requirements, and that PAGCOR had already surveyed the site of the project, said Bagotchay, adding that another two-storey building with eight classrooms will be built through a public-private partnership scheme.

What is available now is the six-classroom building at the right side of the main building where the Special Program in the Arts (SPA) will be accommodated, but Bagotchay said the school is still waiting for it to be turned over officially.

Bagotchay explained that DCPNHS is managing the ratio to 50 students per section, which is still above the standard ratio of one classroom for every 45 students.

She said this was because the actual enrollment exceeded the target increase by two percent. Grade 7 has 25 sections; Grade 8 has 20 sections; third year and fourth year levels have 16 sections each, she said, adding that the need of 23 additional teachers has been addressed.

Meanwhile, DCPNHS' counterpart in the elementary level, the Tagbilaran City Central Elementary School, was also troubled by lack of classrooms, caused by the high increase in enrollment due to the implementation of the K-12 curriculum.

TCCES enrollment has reached 2,120 already and may breach the 2k-mark due to the influx of late enrollees at this time, School principal, Baselides Cempron said the school has 47 classrooms and only one additional classroom is expected to be finished this year. She however assured that the 63 teachers are enough to handle 45 pupils in a classroom. (FREEMAN)