ZAMBOANGA CITY, (PNA) -– The Department of Education (DepEd) has pushed through with the semestral break observance in public schools as scheduled despite suspension of classes for several days brought about by last month’s standoff in this city.
Classes in public schools were suspended for almost 20 days due to the standoff that started last September 9 when hundreds of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels infiltrated this city.
Aside from the standoff, this city was also hit by flash flood that also caused the suspension of classes earlier this month.
City Division of Schools Officer-in-Charge Pedro Melchor Natividad said Tuesday he was ordered to comply with the DepEd order implementing the semetral break despite his request to hold “make-up” classes and forgo with the break.
Natividad said the “make-up” classes are intended to cope with the number of classes days lost during last month’s standoff.
“DepEd Order No. 10, series of 2013 entitled School Calendar for the School Year 2013-2014 particularly in enclosure No.1, October 28 to 31 is intended for Mid-Year Assessment and In-Service Training for Teachers (INSET) and the semestral break for students,” Natividad said.
Natividad, in compliance with the order, has directed the all the school heads to strictly follow the DepEd order.
Natividad said that they will adopt measures to be able to cope with the required number of schools as the students are already behind in their lessons.
There are 171 public elementary and 34 high schools with 14,7347 and 49,870 students, respectively, in this city.