DepEd Tabuk pushes for the reclassification of annex schools

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Tabuk City Schools Division is pushing to rename, integrate, and separate 17 annex schools in the city to provide students “easier access to education, provision of employment and utilization of resources.”

Proposed schools to be renamed are Banagan Primary School, Cogawe Elementary School, Bulo East Elementary School, Cudal Elementary School, Balawag Elementary School, Dananao Primary School, Bulo West Elementary School –Burubor Annex, Mansanita Primary School, Bulanao Elementary School, Agbannawag Elementary School, Bado Dangwa Elementary School and Balawag National High School.

Those proposed for integration are Laya Elementary School to Laya Integrated School, San Pablo Elementary School to San Pablo Integrated School, Mabato Elementary School to Amlao Integrated School and Guilayon Elementary School to Guilayon Integrated School.

Naneng National High School-Mosimos Annex is also being suggested to become an independent school and to be called Dupag National High School.

Why the need for schools to be renamed, integrated and separated?

Schools Division Superintendent Irene Angway said that this is to make recipient schools become accessible to students, which is part of the agency’s continus effort to provide better learning services, especially for far flung students in Tabuk City.

She disclosed that the challenges and problems faced by learners when it comes to accessibility to education made them decide on the integration of several schools.

One school, she cited, is Toppan Elementary School which is a school situated in Gobgob where students need to board or find place to stay due to its inaccessibility; while other students and those in the higher grade levels have to travel to and from nearby barangays such as Tuga and New Tanglag just to study.

“Dagidiay taga Toppan, bumaba da idiay Cabaritan and then awan school idiay Cabaritan, either apan da idiay Tuga or New Tanglag so malayo din, yun lang kung may sasakyan ka or you have a place to stay in New Tanglag, Bulanao or even in Dagupan.

These graduates of Toppan ES when integration of schools pushes through, she said will no longer need to go to secondary schools located in Bulanao or Dagupan to study.

“We are also looking for additional integrated schools, ang isa is Guilayon kasi ang Guilayon malayo sa Nambucayan baka aabot ng 10 kilometers yun na lalakarin nila araw-araw,” she added.

Also when approved to become integrated school, Laya East Elementary School, she said, would help decongest the number of enrollees in Tabuk City National High School.

“Masyado nang marami ang enrollees sa TCNHS though marami ang mga teachers to cater them, but the travel especially ngayong pandemic, hindi mo sigurado kung sinong nakakasalamuha mo so it would be better to study where you live,” Angway expressed.

Establishing integrated schools, Angway said, is also more practical as they are already making use of the resources by maximizing it, adding that establishing integrated school is easier that establishing new schools.

For employment purposes

During the interview, the schools division superintendent said the move shall also cater and provide employment to a number of teacher-applicants who are qualified to teach, but are not being hired since there are no openings.

Tabuk City has only 17 secondary schools, according to Angway.

“Andami nating teachers who are qualified to teach, who have the skills pero ang problema saan naman sila magtuturo kung limited naman ang ating mga schools. In Tabuk City, we have 17 secondary schools, so if we have these integrated schools, these will create opportunities for our teacher-applicants,” she explained.

Renaming of Schools

For primary schools, Angway said, they are to be renamed as elementary schools as they are already offering 7 grade levels which is kindergarten to grade six.

These include Banagan Primary School to be named as Banagan Elementary School, Dananao Primary School to Dananao Elementary School and Mansanita Primary School to Mansanita Elementary School.

For separation, Naneng National High School-Mosimos Annex will soon be named as Dupag National High School when approved.

“Pag separate school yan, magkakaroon ng sariling budget and sariling identity,” Angway said.

For schools to be renamed as Central schools are Bulo East Elementary School to Bulo East Central School, Cudal Elementary School to Cudal Central School, Balawag Elementary School to Balawag Central School, Agbannawag Elementary School to Agbannawag Central School and Bado Dangwa Elementary School to Bado Dangwa Central School.

The City, she said has four districts which include Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Tabuk districts and each district must have a central school.

Integrated schools to be implemented gradually

In a separate interview with Frederico Flores, Senior Education Program Specialist for Monitoring and Evaluation, he disclosed that the implementation of the integration of schools shall be done gradually as they also have to consider availability of human resources.

“We have to consider many things especially human resource kasi hindi naman natin pwedeng biglain na i-open ang grade 7 kasabay ng grade 8 na wala tayong mga teachers so ang gagawin is grade 7 muna and then for the following year, yung mga dating enrollees natin for grade 7 ay yun na ang mga grade 8 natin,” Flores explained.

One step for the initiative to prosper is now being undertaken by the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Tabuk in crafting ordinances to rename, integrate and separate several Annex schools in the city to comply with the documentary requests of the Schools Division of Tabuk for submission to the Department of Education.

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