BUGUIAS, Benguet – By the end of the third quarter of the year, the 80 pupils of Kimpit Elementary School in the remote village of Amlimay in this municipality will have a new multipurpose building.
The structure is being built through the “Build Me A Classroom”, a parents-teachers association (PTA)-initiated project and funded through the collaborative effort of stakeholders.
In the past years, 50 grades 1 to 6 pupils held their classes in a one-story school building that is ideally good for two standard classrooms.
But thanks to the kindred souls who initially donated construction materials while the PTA also purchased additional materials from the P50,000 total contribution of parents of kindergarten and grades 1 to 6 pupils.
Kimpit ES Teacher-in-Charge Avelina Lacaden along with the four teaching personnel pushed for the construction of an extension building through bayanihan during the kick-off of the Brigada Eskwela program in 2022.
But construction works hit a snag due to lack of funds to purchase construction materials even as parents, especially the women, are always on hand to render free labor.
Parents and teachers were grateful when a representative of the Cordillera Golfers Foundation, Inc. went to the Kimpit ES in July to inform the PTA officers led by their president Melchora Ulbano the group will allocate P300,000 to complete the construction of phase one of the extension building as endorsed by the Benguet Schools Division Office.
The CGFI pays for the construction materials, including the hauling while the PTA renders free labor.
Through the Adopt-a-School Program of the Department of Education, the Kimpit ES was identified as the beneficiary in the Schools Division of Benguet through Schools Division Superintendent Sally L. Banaken-Ullalim.
On Aug. 21, CGFI representatives led by John Marasigan and Rey Angel went to Kimpit ES to monitor the progress of the project while they purchased additional materials to be hauled anytime soon.
The CGFI earlier allocated P300,000 each to the eight schools division offi-ces of the Department of Education-Cordillera which will be used for the priority projects identified by the SDOs.
The P1.8 million donation from CGFI came from the proceeds of its inaugural golf tournament held in Baguio City in May.
“We are grateful that our school was chosen as the beneficiary of the CGFI outreach program,” said Lacaden, as she assured she will still work closely with residents until the building construction is completed after she was promoted and transferred to another school.
During school year 2022-2023, 58 pupils from grades 1 to 6 of Kimpit ES held classes in a one-story three-classroom school building while 12 kindergarten pupils used a multipurpose hall near the school.
Once completed, the extension school that is more spacious and well-ventilated will accommodate grades 5 and 6.
Personnel of the Buguias Municipal Police Station and Special Action Force also participated in the school’s Brigada Eskwela. – Avelina Lacaden with reports from HFP
