(Eagle News) – At least 20 out of 69 classrooms in Marawi City could not be used to accommodate students for the school year as the opening of classes nationwide began on Monday, June 4.
Based on the assessment conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd), some 20 public schools that were totally damaged by the conflict last year could still not be used as these had been hit by bombs and some were burned during the war that lasted over four months.
The Department of Education said that they would still ensure that the 31,000 students displaced by the Marawi conflict would still be able to go to school this school year.
The Marawi students would be accommodated by doing clustering system in the region.
“We will do clustering. Some students will be brought to the adjacent schools,” DepEd Undersecretary Tonisito Umali said.
“We were not able to rehabilitate all schools, especially those in ground zero. There’s no way they can be rebuilt from the same site or location. You need to find another location, so that means the 69 schools have been reduced to around 40,” he said.