SM Foundation

New school building standing as a symbol of hope

A two-storey building with four classrooms turned over by the SM Foundation and SM Prime to a school in Tagum City came at the right time after a magnitude 6.9 quake last Oct. 10 destroyed the integrity of three classrooms.

According to Suaybaguio-Riña Elementary School principal Brigitte Asas, the building finished construction in perfect timing, exactly a week after the earthquake which further compromised their buildings already “for condemnation” with beam cracks, making them unsafe for grade two and grade one students.

The campus so far has three buildings built more than 25 years ago, which are now set for demolition. 

“The SM classrooms itself, after the earthquake, are very timely, especially now that we’re lacking classrooms. We would’ve just tried to repair the cracks in the old rooms if it weren’t for the SM Foundation,” Asas said.

She adds that classrooms have become the campus’ number one problem, which they have tried to solve by creating at least five makeshift classrooms which the principal describes as “half concrete, half wooden” to accommodate students.

While there has been a lack of rooms in the campus, Asas sees to it that their classroom to student ratio for grades one to three is limited to 30 to 35 students per room for grades one to two and 40 to 45 for the higher levels.

Lack of rooms and facilities

Elene Saavedra, Teacher I at Suaybaguio-Riña Elementary School, stressed the importance of providing grade two and grade one students a conducive space to bolster their holistic learning, considering these levels as a child’s crucial years for development.

“As a teacher, our old building is not really conducive for learning because it was dark and our students were uncomfortable due to lack of electric fans, unlike in this building where it’s brighter and more spacious,” Saavedra said.

The school conducts their classes in full days, starting from 7:30 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. for grades one to three. Only their primary level students take classes in two shifts, their schedules in accordance with the prescribed hours of the Department of Education.

With seven hours of sitting in class, the design of the chairs and desks in the old buildings tend to be cramped with two to four students sharing one desk, making it difficult to write according to the school’s student government president Lonardjames Eramis.

Princess Dumagat, a fellow sixth-grade pupil, particularly appreciates the wood-steel armchairs that came with the building, describing their previous chairs and tables as “gamay,” or small.

Aside from the woes of the learning facilities, Saavedra also recalls dealing with minor flooding in the old classrooms. 

“Every time it rains, we get nervous because it is an added job to mop and dry the floor… Sometimes we just have to send the students home too which also affects the conduct of our classes,” Saavedra shared.

To address the flooding issue, Asas aims to add a drainage in the flood-prone areas in their campus surrounding the new building after the turnover.

Symbol of hope

Faryl Jane Ponce, a PTA officer who has four children studying in Suaybaguio-Riña Elementary School, two of which are primary and grade two students, says that the new building would help her child learn more efficiently.

“I am grateful to the SM Foundation because this new building would provide my children with  space comfort. They no longer have to endure the congestion, noise, and humidity,” Ponce said.

With the building’s turnover, the principal believes that the new classrooms would ignite excitement for their students which could motivate them to perform better in school.

“This building symbolizes hope for our students and is now a legacy of the SM Foundation. No matter how many principals and teachers retire in this school, the gratitude of the Suaybaguio-Riña Elementary School community would last a lifetime,” Asas added.

The classrooms are turned fully equipped, each feature a whiteboard, toilet room, four electric fans, teacher’s table and PWD-made armchairs, including ones for left-handed students.

The building also includes the Parent-Teacher’s Association office, a faculty room, a mini library, a 10-faucet handwashing station, and PWD facilities.