Angara wants Brigada Eskwela 2025 to focus on literacy

June 9, 2025 , 07:10 AM

By Niko Dacanay

JUNE 9, 2025 — The Department of Education called on volunteers to do more than just refurbish classrooms as Brigada Eskwela 2025 officially kicked off a week before the opening of the school year.

“Brigada Eskwela is more than just fixing the schools; it is a bayanihan movement,” said Education Secretary Sonny Angara.

Angara said this year’s Brigada Eskwela — which carries the theme “Sama-sama Para sa Bayang Bumabasa” — should also focus on turning classrooms into spaces that encourage students to read.

The Education chief believed community involvement plays an important role in nurturing literacy among the youth.

With this, DepEd called on volunteers from different sectors to lend a hand in cleaning classrooms and repairing chairs and tables before the return of at least 27 million students on June 16.

ROMANTICIZING VOLUNTEERISM?

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition called for stronger government support in preparing schools for the upcoming academic year.

“Let us not forget that school infrastructure, operations and maintenance are a state obligation, not a burden to be shouldered by private citizens, community members or teachers, even if voluntary,” said TDC spokesperson Jim Lester Beleno.

The group said that insufficient funding for public schools forces reliance on community goodwill in setting up classrooms.

TDC pointed out that while the spirit of bayanihan is well-appreciated, there are gaps that volunteerism cannot fill.

These include shortage of maintenance personnel in schools as well as deteriorating facilities. The teachers group called on the Department of Budget and Management and lawmakers to increase allocations for school infrastructure and ensure timely fund disbursements — especially those in underserved communities.

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