The SM Foundation and SM Prime turned over on Dec. 18 a newly built two-story school building to the Santa Barbara Central Elementary School in Zamboanga City, which was heavily ravaged during the Zamboanga City siege in 2013.
SM Foundation Executive Director for Education Carmen Linda Atayde, SM Mindpro Mall Manager Aileen Ann Enriquez, SM Mindpro OIC and Assistant Mall Manager Jodie Durens, Dr. Basilio Uy, acting Chief for School Governance and Operation, Department of Education -Zamboanga City, Santa Barbara Central Elementary School Principal Anna Liza Martin, and Parents-Teachers Association president Nidznalyn Kasim lead the turnover of the new school building.
Aside from the classrooms, Martin says that all their learners lost considerable school hours, added with the stress and pressure of having to relocate to neighboring schools just to catch up.Head teacher Alice Yusop, who was present during the attacks, says that even when neighboring campuses have hosted their learners, the shortage of teachers and facilities in other schools in the surrounding communities hindered their learners from receiving quality education.
“I remember one specific instance when, in one of our makeshift classrooms in a host campus, there was an explosion, but it was just an electric fuse box. I remember how the learners ran scared and crying. That was the toll on them. It was not only about losing school days, but it was also about their mental health,” she says.Going back to the campus after the month-long attacks, they found almost nothing to build from and the memories of the attacks scattered all around them.
The four-classroom building is equipped with electric fans for proper ventilation, toilets, and washbasins inside the classrooms.
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