School principals, head teachers laud Celso’s support to education
Mayor Celso Lobregat on Monday reaped praises from the more than 500 principals and head teachers of the different public elementary and secondary schools throughout the city for his “record-braking” support to education.
“We cannot thank him so much for what he has done, what he continues to do and what he will still do for public education,” chorused the city’s public principals and head teachers attending the District Executive Committee (DEXCOM) conference last Monday at Cecile’s Convention Center in Tumaga.
In his message during the DEXCOM conference, Lobregat stressed that Zamboanga under his administration continues to do unprecedented things in education. “As we exert efforts to help decongest school population by constructing new classrooms, we are also expanding our assistance by opening up new schools,” he said. Among these new schools are the Talon-Talon National High School and the Recodo National High School.
“No less than Education Secretary Jesli Lapus was amazed at our initiatives and described us as a “model not only for public schools but for everyone to maximize our limited resources,” he said to the rousing applause of the city public school administrators.
The mayor also took pride with the highly successful 10Rs Project that was able to produce 2,921 functional desks and armchairs from the 4,132 dilapidated and broken armchairs and desks which were considered junks from the different elementary and secondary schools.
The project was done in partnership with the Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College (ZCSPC), Los Contratistas, Filipino-Chinese Chamber, SPHIL, Commission on Audit, Western Mindanao State Univetsity, Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology, the Industrial Group, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Education and the General Services Office.
He also revealed that for School Year 2010 the city government has allocated the amount of P6 million for the purchase of 7,000 new armchairs to be manufactured by the ZCSPC and to be distributed to the different schools.
This, he added, is in addition to the city government’s scholarship program for the poor but deserving high school graduating students who come from the top 10 of the class. Schools can enroll in any course they want at the state-run government colleges and universities in the city (WMSU, ZCSPC and ZSCMST).
The DEXCOM conference, organized by the Division of City Schools, was primarily to discuss plans and strategies on how to further improve quality of education. Mayor Lobregat was accompanied by Councilor Rudy Lim, chairman of the council committee on education and other city officials. (Vic Larato)