Cebu LGU, RAFI inks partnership to address classroom shortage
By Amorganda A. Saludar
CEBU CITY Aug 14 (PIA) -- The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) and its partners have turned over 12 classrooms in the four public elementary schools of Asturias town. These include Bago Elementary School, Tubigagmanok Elementary School, Manguiao Elementary School and Ubogon Elementary School.
The local government of Asturias shouldered the P1.3 million labor cost of the renovation of the classrooms while the RAFI donated the P4.4 million for the material costs of the repair and rehabilitation of the dilapidated classrooms.
School teachers, parents and the community on the other hand, served as property custodians of the construction materials.
This advocacy of RAFI is not only limited to providing the children with a more conducive classrooms but with a better teaching-learning environment that prepares them to become good and productive citizens of the country.
RAFI Deputy Director for Operations Amaya Aboitiz said, “RAFI is doing its best to help provide enabling conditions by improving physical structures, but we also recognize that other key ingredients are needed to nurture the love for learning. We wish to emphasize the need to have a more effective classroom learning and this would require change in the culture of classroom management. Our dream is to be able to help create classrooms that are more child-friendly, participative and stimulating. It is our hope that these newly-repaired classrooms will be able to contribute towards improving student performance and participation.”
“We encourage our teachers to continue with the noble mission of caring, imparting knowledge, encouraging creativity and critical thinking, and shaping and empowering students to become achievers and future leaders of our nation,” she further added.
The municipality of Asturias is chosen as one of the municipality-beneficiaries of RAFI’s School Rehabilitation Program (SRP) under the Education focus area of RAFI, creating a conducive and engaging learning environment to nurture the love for learning. Other focus areas of RAFI are Integrated Development, Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship, Culture & Heritage and Leadership & Citizenship.
At present, Asturias has 32 classrooms in 11 schools repaired and turned over through the program since 2009. Another 28 classrooms in eight schools in Asturias will be repaired as part of the second batch of the school repair program.
For more information about the School Rehabilitation Program, please contact 418-7234 loc. 205 and look for Jicel Reve Gabriel or visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph or http://schoolrehab.rafi.org.ph. (FCR/AYS-PIA7, Cebu with RAFI PR)