The Department of Education (DepEd) will conduct the Brigada Eskwela 2015 also known as the National Schools Maintenance Week from May 18 to 23, 2015 with the theme Tayo Para sa Kalinisan at Kahandaan ng Ating mga Paaralan. This school maintenance effort engages all education stakeholders to contribute their time, effort and resources in ensuring that public school facilities are prepared in time for the forthcoming school opening.
On May 18, 2015, regional offices (ROs) and schools division offices (SDOs) will hold a caravan to launch the first day of Brigada Eskwela 2015. A kick-off ceremony will be held in a public school, the final stop of the caravan. The national kick off ceremony will be in public school in Region XIII (Caraga), the host region.
All Adopt-a-School Program (ASP) partners and other organizations which are interested to be involved in the school maintenance program must coordinate with the Office of Undersecretary for Partnerships and External Linkages (OUPEL), the ASP Secretariat or the DepEd ROs and SDOs, for guidance.
The principals or school heads shall take the lead role in planning the activities geared on making schools disaster-prepared, ecologically conscious, clean and conducive to learning. Further reminders for principals or school authorities to ensure order in the conduct of the weeklong activity are indicated in Enclosure No. 1.
During the Brigada Eskwela week, education key officials in the Central Office will be monitoring the implementation of the program in schools within the regions where the key officials shall be assigned.
All DepEd employees are encouraged to join the Brigada Eskwela activities by offering their skills, sharing their time or providing their in-kind support to public schools near their residence. Interested employees are given two days to do volunteer work on official time, provided that such work is approved by their heads of offices.
Brigada Eskwela accomplishment reports by SDOs will be submitted to the ASP Secretariat through email address: brigadaeskwela.deped[at]gmail.com not later than July 30, 2015. The sample official forms to be used in accomplishing the reports are provided in Enclosure No. 2. Reports which shall be submitted after July 30, 2015 shall no longer be accommodated by the ASP Secretariat.
Conferment of Brigada Eskwela Best Implementing Schools as national awardees will be on November 26, 2015 at the Meralco Theatre, Meralco Compound, Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City.
Expenses relative to the conduct of this week long activity shall be charged to local funds, subject to the usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
Reminders for Principals or School Heads in the Implementation of Brigada Eskwela
1. Teaching personnel are entitled to earn vacation service credits arising from their active involvement in the weeklong Brigada Eskwela activity. A complete six-day participation in the maintenance effort shall give teachers a three-day service credit entitlement.
For further details on granting service credits to teachers, kindly refer to DepEd Order No. 53 s. 2003 entitled Updated Guidelines on Grant of Vacation Service Credits to Teachers, particularly item no.1.d sub-item k.
2. Brigada Eskwela espouses the spirit of volunteerism. Taking part in the school repair and other maintenance work is not mandatory nor requisite for parents to enable their children to be accommodated in the school.
3. No Brigada Eskwela fee shall be solicited from volunteers.
4. Brigada Eskwela volunteers and out-of-school youth from the community who are aged 15 to 30 years old, have not yet finished basic or higher education and are currently not in school or not employed, shall be enjoined to register with Abot-Alam. An Abot-Alam registration desk shall be designated inside the school for this purpose. Annex A contains the template of the registration form to be used in administering registration in schools while Annex B contains brief profile of Abot-Alam Program which can be reproduced and disseminated. The accomplished registration form shall be turned-over to the ALS/Abot-Alam Coordinator of the schools division, after the Brigada Eskwela week.
5. While the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) members are welcomed to participate in Brigada Eskwela, carrying guns and fire arms must be prohibited inside the school premises. Likewise, AFP members as volunteers shall be advised to wear civilian or work clothes, as against to wearing military uniform, during the school maintenance activity.
For further details on engagement of AFP members in school activities, please refer to DepEd Memorandum No. 221 s. 2013 entitled “On Guidelines on the Protection of Children During Armed Conflict.”
6. Since they will perform the key role in operationalizing this year’s Brigada Eskwela theme, principals or school heads are expected to revisit or restudy the following materials:
- School Safety and Preparedness Guide (Annex C of Enclosure No. 1)
- Stakeholder Engagement Strategy (Annex D of Enclosure No. 1)
- Kit’s Menu (Annex E of Enclosure No. 1)
7. Receving assistance or support from companies and other players in the tobacco industry for Brigada Eskwela is not allowed, pursuant to DepEd Order No. 6. S. 2012 entitled “Guidelines on the Adoption and Implementation of Public Health Policies on Tobacco Control and Protection Against Tobacco Industry Interference”.
Thank you so much to all internal and external stakeholders who extended their generous hands just to make our Brigada Eskwela successful. We really appreciated the support that you all rendered to our school.
any assistance from the government for our school’s brigade especially for repair of our mini gym? it’s difficult to keep asking solicitation from stakeholders as experienced in the past.
Tablu National High School, Tampakan, South Cotabato have already issued letter of invitation and solicitation to different individual stakeholders and agencies last 2nd week of April 2015. Hoping that they will response positively.