SM group turns over 104th school building

In time for the school year opening, SM Prime through SM Foundation turned over a fully furnished two-storey building to the President Manuel Roxas Memorial Integrated School-South in Roxas City, Western Visayas.

The 104th school building made through the collaboration is built in accordance with specifications set by the Department of Education (DepEd). It holds four classrooms, each furnished with desks, chairs for left-handed students, toilets per classroom, including a special toilet for PWDs on the ground floor.

It also includes concave blackboards, electric fans, and LED lighting. Emergency lights were installed in the stairways for emergency-preparedness.

Supporting DepEd’s commitment to ensure that learners have access to water for hygiene and sanitation, SM Foundation installed a handwashing facility along with liquid soap for the community’s use.

To further assist, the SM group will help with the maintenance and upkeep of the said school.

Social Good 

SMFI School Building head, Juris Soliman (center) leads the preparation if the school building turnover. 

It was earlier announced by DepEd that roughly 21 million students enrolled this school year 2023-2024. Amidst this, the agency reported that only over 100,000 out of the more than 300,000 school buildings are in good condition.

Believing in the power of education in uplifting communities, SM Foundation has been an active member of DepEd’s Adopt-a-School Program since 2002, turning over more than 100 school buildings to grassroots communities nationwide. The said program intends to address overcrowding in schools and provide an environment conducive for learning.

World Vision, in partnership with DepEd, strives to address the literacy gap in the Philippines with “Brigada Pagbasa” project

In celebration of the National Literacy Month this September and in preparation for November’s National Reading Month, World Vision Development Foundation in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) launches Brigada Pagbasa, a movement that seeks to enhance the reading skills of the Filipino children.

The project, an extension of the Brigada Eskwela campaign that promotes community participation in time for school opening, will bring together experts, change makers, policy-makers, and other stakeholders across all sectors from international and local agencies, as well as public and private organizations to spread reading literacy among Filipino children.

To make this happen, World Vision, together with DepEd, is partnering with the National Library of the Philippines, National Book Development Board, and E Net Philippines, and have also tapped TV and radio personality Joyce Pring to be the Ambassador for Brigada Pagbasa.

“Literacy, most especially amongst the children and youth, is one of the key factors that determines how well a country progresses in this rapidly-changing world. We have an unfortunate reality where some Filipinos, both young and old, are still struggling with their literacy skills,” said Mr. Rommel Fuerte, Executive Director of World Vision in the Philippines.

Based on a report by United Nations, the Philippines has the highest literacy rate at 97.95 percent among Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia. The literacy rate is 98.9 percent among females and 97 percent among males aged 15-24.

While the literacy rate showed the country’s improvement from the past years, there is still a staggering number of children in the country who face literacy challenges. The remaining gap reflected in the study above shows that more work must be done to address this pressing issue.

“To become literate is an important component in the development of children, especially at this fast-paced, technology-driven age. Brigada Pagbasa aims to unleash the potential in every child,” said Mr. Rommel Fuerte, Executive Director of World Vision Philippines.

Brigada Pagbasa will fully commence this November at several communities across the Philippines to educate everyone the value of reading.

“This campaign is a life-long commitment for all of us, perhaps, until every child receives an opportunity to be educated and to develop his or her full potential,” Mr. Fuerte added.