DepEd To Put End On Practice of Using Public Schools as Evacuation Centers
The Department of Education (DepEd) wants to put an end to the practice of using public schools as evacuation centers in time of calamities.
The Education Department wants to have an uninterrupted school classes despite the occurrence of calamities and disasters.
DepEd Undersecretary Alain del Pascua stands that public schools should not be used as evacuation centers to ensure the continuity of education.
“It also stands its position that public schools are not to be used as evacuation centers in order to ensure the continuity of education given in the worst calamity situation,” Pascua said.
Since 2016 up to 2018, about 44,000 schools have been affected by calamities such as earthquakes and tropical cyclones wherein 17,937 of them were used as evacuation centers.
President Rodrigo Duterte was also supporting DepEd who wants the local government to construct separate evacuation centers and avoid using schools being one of it.
DepEd together with several non-governemnt organizations (NGO) has already started a number of programs such as the psychological first-aid training, relocations of schools, and mobile apps to prepare schools during disasters.
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