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ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/01 February) – The design of a low-cost school building constructed by the city government will serve as the standard for those that will be built in other parts of the country, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Armin Luistro said Tuesday.
Luistro issued the statement after he and Mayor Celso Lobregat led the inaugura tion of the three-storey 23-classroom school building project at the Tugbungan Elementary School in this city that cost P21.2 million.
The secretary pointed out that the school buildin gs constructed by the local government and turned over to DepEd, cost P10,000 per square meter, which he said is cheaper compared to the school buildings in other areas.
He noted that unlike in other places the local government spent first for the construction of school buildings and “then wait for the national government’s counterpart funds”.
The construction of the school building in Tugbungan started in October 2010 when Luistro first visited the school.
“This side (of the campus) was still muddy with the construction workers going up and down while working,” the official recalled.[]
The newly finished building is the biggest school structure so far that has been implemented by the local government.[]
Lobregat explained said the city opted for a big building to maximize the small land area of the school.[]
Luistro told the teachers and pupils to maximize and put to good use the newly constructed school building.
After the inauguration the secretary visited other schools where buildings are being constructed or will be constructed by the local government.
Nine school buildings with a total of 59 classrooms worth P49.6 million are undergoing construction while three others are on the drawing board. (MindaNews)
