Buildable Spaces for Quality Learning

Post date: Mar 18, 2014 5:36:37 AM

by: Mr. Renato T. Yuzon,Supply Officer II

“The Schools Division of the City of Balanga, as an educational center of excellence, is deeply committed to develop useful, productive, vocationally skillful, technology-adept, value laden and globally competitive youth who have strong faith in God and genuine love for country and fellow men.”

The Division of City of Balanga suitably aims to provide bright future for our children through delivering quality education as it commits itself to the vision stated above. It supports programs and projects to extend its best efforts in extending basic education to our youth. K- 12 curriculum had been the latest development in the field of education in our country. In its implementation, more teachers had been hired; learning materials are being reproduced, and school building programs are being extensively implemented as the government continuously increases budget allocations for construction projects. Despite the effort of the Department to provide every aspect of education to give its best for the education , there will always be hindrances in achieving its goals.

Presently, the number of enrollees is increasing every school year especially in the implementation of K-12 Curriculum. There will be more students with the effect of adding two more years in secondary education. More students require more classrooms.

Certainly, the government is giving higher budget allocations for the school building programs. In the Division of City of Balanga, schools are recipients of Regular School Building Program, Public-Private Partnership, FilChi Chamber of Commerce, Basic Education Facilities Fund and our Local Government Unit – City Government of City of Balanga. However, if we cannot use our limited spaces for these construction projects; there will always be classroom shortages.

Apparently, the most noticeable problem in schools under the Division of City of Balanga is the lack of buildable spaces for new classrooms. There were schools which may be a potential recipient of construction projects but there were no more room for it.

In economics, people have unlimited needs and wants and they also have limited resources. We only have to wisely and properly use these limited resources. In our situation, continuously increasing number of enrollees, more years in the school, more budget for construction of school building programs, the only constant is the land area where our schools are situated.

In order to use our limited resources, such as buildable space in our schools, the government may start to plan/program two or multi-storey school buildings instead of one-storey classrooms for those schools that cannot accommodate more school buildings. The school may demolish condemnable buildings that may be useable to give way to new multi-storey school buildings which I think is a more efficient use of our space. It costs a lot but it is the most efficient way to invest for the future of our children.

Also, this problem on buildable space of our public schools can be solved through acquiring additional land areas adjacent to our existing schools. In this way, there will be more rooms for improvement of our facilities which significantly contribute to the learning of our children.

This solution can only be possible if the adjacent lands, which are mostly owned by private individuals, are available for sale. Otherwise, if horizontal expansion cannot be done, we will go back to the first-cited solution which is expanding vertically through multi-storey buildings. In both ways, the government has to invest really high amounts for the service to our public.

Students meet their teachers at schools where the basic learning and teaching processes of education are being held. Basic education facilities are very important in this process. A more conducive place for learning can produce more excellent and globally competitive students that eventually will contribute for the future of our country’s economy.