The Department of Education (DepEd) announced that it may take about a month before in-person classes in Cebu can resume following the devastating magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck the province.
In a radio interview on Friday, October 3, DepEd Undersecretary for Operations Malcolm Garma said the reopening of schools depends heavily on the speed of reconstruction and repairs.
“Ang tantsa mga 30 days talaga bago maka-restore (school operations) depende sa bilis ng construction,” Garma explained.
In Bogo City, which was the epicenter of the quake, an estimated 38 schools were heavily affected.
“Kung sa Bogo City, mayroon tayong 38 schools doon. We are still undergoing assessment kasi hindi natin mapuntahan or hindi maka-assess pa dahil may aftershocks pa roon,” he said.
Garma stressed that the extent of damage was significant. “Definitely, ‘yung 38 (Bogo City) schools natin could have sustained damages talaga.”
He added that schools across Regions 5, 6, and 7 were among the hardest hit.
“Yung kabuuan nung lahat ng naapektuhan ng lindol kasama na diyan yung Region 5, 6, 7 at of course 7…sa ngayon, mayroon na tayong naitala na mga 5,587 na classrooms na major damage talaga,” he noted.
To ensure continued learning, DepEd will shift to home-based learning for students in quake-affected areas.
“Magho-homebased muna tayo at handa naman ang ating mga field offices. Naka-preposition yung kanilang modules,” Garma said.