BrigadaEskwelahighlightscommunityservice,stakeholders

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May21,2014
ThereisnoothercountrythatpreparesforschoolopeningthewaythePhilippinesdoes.Itsonlyinthe
PhilippineswhereclosetosevenmillionFilipinosactuallyvolunteertohelpcleanschools,Departmentof
Education(DepEd)SecretaryBr.ArminLuistroFSCsaidattheceremonialopeningofBrigadaEskwelain
Guimaras.

TheeducationchiefhighlightedtheimportantroleofstakeholdersinmakingBrigadaEskwelahappen.

BrigadaEskwelaisnotaboutthecleanestschool.Itisnotaboutthemostorganizedcampus.Itsaboutthe
wholecommunitytranscendingdifferencesandworkingtogetherforthebenefitoftheFilipinolearners,
Luistroadded.

Morethan600volunteerscampedouttohelpincleaning,repairing,andmakingtheschoolsaferand
resilientforstudentsintimefortheschoolopeningonJune2.

GettingourschoolsreadyforthestartofclassesinJunerequiresalotofmanpower.EveryFilipinocan
contributeinhelpingcreatecleanandresilientlearningenvironmentsforourlearners,Luistrosaid.

ZeroOSY

Aspartofboostingtheprogramforoutofschoolyouth(OSY),DepEdrolledouttheAbotAlamprogram
indifferentareasinthecountry.

Ifweallworktogethernotonlyinbeautifyingourschools,wecanalldreamthatGuimarascanbethefirst
provinceinthecountrythatwillhavezerooutofschoolyouth,saidLuistro.

WiththehelpofTESDAandpartnersineducation,DepEdwilldevelopalternativedeliverymodesforthe
OSYtoenablethemtofinishhighschool.

LocalizedSeniorHighSchool

LuistrourgedGuimarastohaveaseniorhighschooltrackthatwouldboosttheirlocalindustry.

DepEdwillcertainlyprovidethecurriculumtodevelopthemangoindustryhere,hesaid.Heunderscored
theneedtoprovidethestudentsthetechnicalskillsinordertogrowthelocaleconomyandindustry.

Weneedthewholecommunityandstakeholderswhoareunitedtowardsthatsamemission,hesaid.

 Every Filipino deserves to have an education.

The country's forefathers who penned the 1987
Constitution strongly understood this fundamental
need that they wrote Article II Section 17 on the
pages of the highest law of the land clear proof of
the Filipino peoples belief that education is
indispensable to the growth of a nation.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is married to
the burden of fulfilling this commitment. Throughout
the years, it has devised countless ways to deliver
quality education to every Filipino.
"The State shall give priority to education,
science and technology, arts, culture, and
sports to foster patriotism and nationalism,
accelerate social progress, and promote
total human liberation and development."
- Article II Section 17, 1987 Constitution
But like any other government agency with flaws and
shortcomings, the DepEd is not always met with
favorable feedback. Most common among the
issues thrown at them is the seeming lack of priority
for education in the country, as reflected in the
deficiency of resources for public schools.
Year after year, we hear news about the shortage of
classrooms, overcrowded classes, and schools
being not ready for the upcoming school year.
 DepEd addressed this issue through the Adopt-a-
School Program (ASP) in 1998. This initiative
allowed a partnership with other stakeholders who
are willing to share resources to improve the
country's public school education. In a few years,
the spirit of volunteerism reached 200 partners and
generated P6 billion worth of programs and
interventions.
In order to reach even more people, DepEd brought
the program to the communities in 2003 through
Brigada Eskwela (School Brigade).
A brand new outlook
Brigada Eskwela, also known as the Bayanihan
Para sa Paaralan (Working Together for Schools)",
added a new meaning to the Filipino concept of
unity. From the image of barrio men bearing together
the weight of a bahay kubo (nipa hut) on their
shoulders to the image of volunteers braving storms
and floods to help calamity-stricken communities,
Brigada Eskwela brings to us a picture of people
from different sectors of society repainting walls and
blackboards, cleaning windows and doors, or
repairing fences.
One of the public school students who grew up in
the culture of Brigada Eskwela is Russell de
Guzman, a student leader at Makati High School.
 Since he was in elementary, he has been taking part
in this activity.
When I was in elementary, I would do it because it
was a requirement for officers, and I had nothing to
do during the summer vacation, he shared. But as I
kept on doing it every year, I realized it was also my
responsibility to help.
De Guzman explained that it was a challenge for
both public school teachers and students to put up
with blackboards that have become too rough to
write on, chairs with broken armrests or uneven
legs, and electric fans that do not work. It can really
make you lose focus on the lesson sometimes.
He knew there is a need to alleviate these
challenges, and understood that as a student, he
has a part to play. By being a volunteer in Brigada
Eskwela, he saw that no effort is too small to make a
difference.
Russell de Guzman does his own share of the tasks
As its name suggests, Brigada Eskwela assembles
an army of volunteers to repair and prepare
classrooms in time for the opening of classes. This
year, it ran from May 18 to 23 under the theme "Tayo
para sa Kalinisan, Kaligtasan, at Kahandaan ng
Ating mga Paaralan (Stand for the Cleanliness,
Safety, and Preparedness of our Schools)."
 The success of its implementation lies in the
collaborative effort of school heads, private partners,
local government units, and the community
members, including parents and students.
Through the initiative of the school heads, private
partners are given the opportunity to contribute
resources for the effort. And in honor of their
goodwill, private partners are offered tax incentives
of up to 150%. Local government units and
community members mostly provide manpower and
volunteer services during this week-long activity.
Partners from private companies not only donate

cash and resources to the cause. Some of them

also send their employees to schools to help.
Representatives from religious groups and members
of local government units (LGU) such as policemen,
firefighters, and bantay
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bayan also take part in putting up new donated

blackboards, painting school fences, and mounting
bulletin boards. Parents, teachers, and students
from different school organizations also offer their
help.
 Everyone works from 8 am to 5 pm with very little
supervision from the officers of the student
government. We all follow the schedule prescribed
since day one, De Guzman explained.
Throughout the years, the spirit of volunteerism in
Brigada Eskwela has reached more people in the
communities. In 2007 alone, it has generated more
than P2.5 billion worth of support-in-kind and
countless volunteer man-hours.
More and more people from different sectors of the
society extend help to our school every year, De
Guzman affirmed.
Repairs and replacements
Every summer for 12 years now, Brigada Eskwela
has been transforming public schools into a venue
where people from the community get the chance to
be directly involved in an endeavor with the
government.

Members of the Philippine National Police repaint

the basketball court
People from surrounding barangays who spare their
time to volunteer or donate money and resources
get the rare opportunity of collaborating with
teachers and the members of the LGUs. Seeing
them work together paint a picture of shared goals
 and responsibilities between the school and the
community it serves.
De Guzman shared that Brigada Eskwela made him
realize that while the government has a duty to its
citizens, the citizens also have a duty to the
government. The government cannot do everything
for us. We have to do what we can to help each
other, too.
Critics of the program often say that local
governments should be the one to fund the
maintenance of public schools, and schools should
not have to generate resources from private
companies or individuals.
In fact, during their solicitations around the
community, De Guzmans group received mixed
reactions. Some questioned the need to raise funds
for a project that should be funded by the
government, while others willingly donated money or
materials upon learning of Brigada Eskwela's
purpose.
The highest donation from a single individual was
P1,000. The lowest was 25 centavos. We see any
amount as a big help, De Guzman said.
The DepEd explains that one of Brigada Eskwela's
goals is to foster understanding among all sectors of
society that the education of the Filipino people is
 the responsibility of everyone.
The government which provides free education for
the Filipino youth, the community where they grow,
and the private sector who will eventually employ
them are all stakeholders of education. Their
cooperation is significant to the success of every
students education.

Students in action at Brigada Eskwela

Not many of us realize our role as partners of the
government in creating positive change in society.
More often than not, we are quick to point out the
diseases of our country, yet we only wait for the
government to act on them. We either fail to
recognize the opportunities we have to contribute to
the cure of these diseases, or we turn a blind eye on
them because taking part involves change that may
inconvenience us.
De Guzman shared that even some of his
schoolmates do not fully understand the program,
and complain that they only go to school to study,
not to make repairs or clean the campus. If they will
take part in the activity, they will realize a lot of
things that will change their outlook.
Brigada Eskwela also forces us to evaluate our
willingness as members of the community to serve
 when we are called for. With the opportunity it
provides us to be a part of the solution to the
challenges of the education system in the country
we realize how we see ourselves and our duty to the
community and the country in general.
It allows us to understand that, if we are willing, we
can become a part of the change we want to see.
Improved perspectives
Brigada Eskwela was borne out of the need to
address the challenges of public school education in
the Philippines. It started with the simple mission of
cleaning up and beautifying public schools to
prepare for the opening of classes. But by allowing
everyone to contribute, big or small, to this worthy
endeavor, it has also opened multiple doors for
learning and reflection.
From the outside, Brigada Eskwela might only count
as one of DepEds mandates for public schools, a
project that generates funds to beautify the campus.
But scratching the surface will reveal an effective
model of public-private partnership that creates
ripples of impact among the different sectors of
society by revolutionizing the Filipino trait of
bayanihan.
It shows that volunteerism is still abundant in our
country, and that there are a lot of people who are
 willing to cooperate with the governments
worthwhile endeavors if given the chance.

Members of the Makati High School Supreme

Student Government flash their pearly whites after
the successful week-long event

The positive changes that it creates both on the

physical appearance of the schools and the outlook
of the people that take part in it are sources of
great pride for the DepEd family. The Brigada is
proof that an effective partnership between the
government and citizens is possible.
The whole experience influenced De Guzman as a
student leader. He shared that despite the
exhausting door-to-door solicitation that he and
fellow leaders had to do, they never questioned the
value of what they were doing. Despite collecting
only a considerable amount of donations each day,
they always chose to spend their own money for
lunch or snacks.
As they went through the process, they allowed it to
mold them into young leaders with integrity. "It was a
very tiring experience, but its fruits are fulfilling," he
said. Rappler.com
 Lilio Tuares Carreon Jr. writes essays and poems
when he is not in the classroom teaching English or
coaching debate. Currently, he is serving the
students of Makati High School
MANILA, Philippines - The days may well be gone when
schoolchildren in public schools would dread coming to class on the
first week of school, knowing that they would be asked to clean
classrooms, rake the field, shine floors, and dust ceilings when
precious time intended for learning is spent making sure that
classrooms are a safe, pleasant place for students.
Thanks to Brigada Eskwela.

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Over the years, the Brigada Eskwela effort has evolved from a week-
long cleaning-up and beautification exercise to a festive coming
together of stakeholders in education: students, teachers, school
officials, parents, civil society, local government officials, religious
groups, and the private sector.
In an effort to bring the spirit of volunteerism to the community level
and maximize civil participation and utilize local resources to
improve public schools, the Department of Education launched
National Schools Maintenance Week in May. Every year, in the third
week of May, various stakeholders unite and work together to repair
and prepare public schools for the opening of classes.
According to RD San Antonio, DepEd regional director for
Calabarzon, Brigada Eskwela was established to maximize the
students time on their first week of classes.
Before, the first week of class was always allotted to cleaning the
classrooms, and we see that as a problem because we only have
200 days in a schoolyear. We wanted to make the most out of the
time, and Brigada Eskwela was deemed to be the solution, he
expressed.
 Homepage ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

Brigada Eskwela enlivens the spirit of bayanihan, an innate Filipino

trait that espouses communal unity. Private institutions, individuals,
and even local government units contribute in generating resources
to pull off the effort. During the week-long event, volunteers take
time to do minor repairs, painting, organizing, and cleaning the
school vicinity.
It was obvious that Brigada Eskwela had gained significant
momentum over the years, as more and more volunteers join the
yearly activity. According to San Antonio, the participation rate has
been significantly increasing annually.
Asked about their expectations for this years drive, San Antonio said
they are expecting more people, even twice as much as last years,
and it is possible especially because a lot of people really want to
help and take part in the program.
As the Department of Education endeavors to solve many other
challenges plaguing Philippine education, there is Brigada Eskwela
that will remind us that when Filipinos unite, we can build better
together.