ANGELES CITY – Over 500 employees from Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) volunteered to do repair and maintenance work in at least 16 public schools across the country to ensure that these facilities are ready for the opening of classes.
In Pampanga, more than 30 Smart employees based in Bataan, Pampanga and Tarlac trooped to the Sta. Teresita Elementary School (STES) here to kick off the Pampanga leg of Brigada Eskwela.
Edna Tongol, principal of the STES, expressed gratitude to Smart for helping them clean their school as they expect 2,600 students this year.
She said she would also need assistance from private and public offices for the repair of classrooms and buildings. She added that some of their classrooms “are in terrible state.”
SMART is actively supporting the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Brigada Eskwela Plus, also known as the National Schools Maintenance Week, which began on May 24 with a caravan held simultaneously in 16 regions.
According to DepEd, Brigada Eskwela is held nationwide and involves parents, alumni, civic groups, local businesses, NGOs, teachers, students and other volunteers who devote their time and skills to do repairs and maintenance work in public schools. In addition, Brigada Eskwela includes community-led efforts to reduce the number of dropouts and improve student performance.
The event started with the caravan, which moves around major roads of cities and towns where DepEd regional offices are located. After an opening ceremony in a selected public school, participants will go to their assigned schools to begin volunteer work, it was learned.
Smart, an established supporter of the education sector through its Kabalikat sa Edukasyon initiatives, is participating in Brigada Eskwela by mobilizing its employees and encouraging them to sign up for the program.
“Smart has business offices and facilities nationwide, and we feel that this is a good way for us to support community initiatives,” said Ramon R. Isberto, Smart public affairs group head, in a statement.
Some 500 employee-volunteers are getting ready to clean classrooms, sweep floors, wipe windows, repair and paint tables and chairs, and even do some gardening.
Smart selected the schools where its employee-volunteers will be deployed based on existing tie-ups. The company already has 270 partner schools because of its Smart Schools Program (SSP), a community service initiative to uplift the quality and standard of education in public elementary and high schools. In addition, it also has beneficiary schools under Read-to-be-Smart, which aims to upgrade the reading skills of students in underprivileged public elementary schools.
Aside from SSP and Read-to-be-Smart, the telco’s Kabalikat sa Edukasyon initiatives include Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP), an industry-academe partnership program that helps raise the level of technology and engineering education in the country; and Application Developers’ Intro School (ADIS), which is designed to increase IT students’ employability by bridging the gap between their skills set and industry requirements.
In Pampanga, more than 30 Smart employees based in Bataan, Pampanga and Tarlac trooped to the Sta. Teresita Elementary School (STES) here to kick off the Pampanga leg of Brigada Eskwela.
Edna Tongol, principal of the STES, expressed gratitude to Smart for helping them clean their school as they expect 2,600 students this year.
She said she would also need assistance from private and public offices for the repair of classrooms and buildings. She added that some of their classrooms “are in terrible state.”
SMART is actively supporting the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Brigada Eskwela Plus, also known as the National Schools Maintenance Week, which began on May 24 with a caravan held simultaneously in 16 regions.
According to DepEd, Brigada Eskwela is held nationwide and involves parents, alumni, civic groups, local businesses, NGOs, teachers, students and other volunteers who devote their time and skills to do repairs and maintenance work in public schools. In addition, Brigada Eskwela includes community-led efforts to reduce the number of dropouts and improve student performance.
The event started with the caravan, which moves around major roads of cities and towns where DepEd regional offices are located. After an opening ceremony in a selected public school, participants will go to their assigned schools to begin volunteer work, it was learned.
Smart, an established supporter of the education sector through its Kabalikat sa Edukasyon initiatives, is participating in Brigada Eskwela by mobilizing its employees and encouraging them to sign up for the program.
“Smart has business offices and facilities nationwide, and we feel that this is a good way for us to support community initiatives,” said Ramon R. Isberto, Smart public affairs group head, in a statement.
Some 500 employee-volunteers are getting ready to clean classrooms, sweep floors, wipe windows, repair and paint tables and chairs, and even do some gardening.
Smart selected the schools where its employee-volunteers will be deployed based on existing tie-ups. The company already has 270 partner schools because of its Smart Schools Program (SSP), a community service initiative to uplift the quality and standard of education in public elementary and high schools. In addition, it also has beneficiary schools under Read-to-be-Smart, which aims to upgrade the reading skills of students in underprivileged public elementary schools.
Aside from SSP and Read-to-be-Smart, the telco’s Kabalikat sa Edukasyon initiatives include Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP), an industry-academe partnership program that helps raise the level of technology and engineering education in the country; and Application Developers’ Intro School (ADIS), which is designed to increase IT students’ employability by bridging the gap between their skills set and industry requirements.
