Antique: The Antique National School (ANS), the largest secondary school in the province, plans to build 10 makeshift classrooms to address the expected enrollment growth for the upcoming school year. ANS Principal Roger Jomolo shared that they anticipate over 7,000 students enrolling this year, a significant increase from the previous year's 6,000 students.
According to Philippines News Agency, the school intends to transform its outdated gymnasium and kitchen facility into temporary classrooms specifically for the Grade 8 level, which alone is expected to see about 1,000 enrollees. Jomolo has called for donations of armchairs, highlighting the need for at least 300 to accommodate the additional students. He emphasized the importance of community support as part of the Brigada Eskwela initiative.
Beyond the needs of Grade 8 students, there is also a requirement for additional classrooms dedicated to Values Education, which will now be conducted daily. In a prior discussion, Whelannie Tolentino, Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Antique Education Program Specialist II, noted the ongoing efforts to gather armchair donations from stakeholders and companies participating in this year's Brigada Eskwela. She pointed out that 35 secondary schools in Antique face similar challenges due to rising enrollment numbers.
