Classes in public schools in the flash flood affected areas have resumed last January 3. The Department of Education believed that by normalizing things in the lives of the pupils, in particular letting them return to school and attending classes again, recovery will be faster, and people will be able to start and get back on their feet again.

Unfortunately, resumption to normalcy has proven to be not so easy a task for the pupils, the public school teachers, and the public school administrators. Since only the home owner victims were relocated to the “tent city”, the “renters” who also lost their “homes” remained in the evacuation centers – the public schools. As of today, these “renters” refuse to leave the evacuation centers and continue to demand from the government that they, too, be given a space in the tent city/relocation site.

The West City Central School in Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City (1-13-2012)

Classroom no more ...

While all these things are going on, the pupils of the public schools and the teachers are suffering – they had to look for a place where they can have their classes again.  It’s a good thing a religious organization has allowed them to use temporarily their Chapel – the Carmelite Chapel in Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City.

Classes are recited only 2 hours every day, so Grades 1 and 2 have theirs from 6 in the morning to 9; Grades 3 and 4 from 9 am to 11 am; Grades 5 and 6 from 11 am to 1 pm. All these classes are conducted in this Chapel, simultaneously.

I think at this point I would rather that the pictures we took tell the whole story of what is currently happening to the students and the teachers of this public school …

Visual Aids?

Smile lang gihapon =)

Test Papers?

Resourcefulness =)

25 sections all in all ...

Serving two purposes: Simbahan og Classroom =)

Tanan ga tindog teachers!

Children! Face front!

Kalisod sa kahimtang ...

Kalisod ...

Si Ma'am ...

Making the best of what they have ...