SMFI inaugurates new school building in Batangas

WITH over 21 million students enrolled for the School Year 2023-2024, the lack of classrooms remains a challenge, with the country reporting a deficit of 159,000. Region 4A (Calabarzon), logging the most enrollments at over 3 million, is familiar with the problem.

San Antonio Elementary School (SAES), situated in one of Batangas' most populated municipalities, has been affected by the longstanding challenge of classroom shortage.

«With so many students enrolled, we could not properly provide accommodation for the learners. We had 1,550 students last year but only 21 classrooms, and we needed 22 more,» SAES Principal Joy Obreo said in a mixture of English and Filipino.

SAES utilized class shifting to fulfill their duty of honing the minds of Filipino youth. However, this, too, posed a problem.

«Our shifting of classes runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Six hours is not enough for students and teachers to interact. The challenge is for children to wake up so early, and when they are late, there is already a gap in the learning process. What should be given to students are not met [because of this predicament],» she raised.

Through the SM Foundation, SM Prime improves education in the Philippines by constructing new school buildings. SM Group's school building program has contributed to resolving educational woes, hoping to improve the quality of learning.

As an active partner of the Department of Education's Adopt-A-School Program, SM Foundation turned over a two-floor, four-classroom school building to SAES.

Each classroom is well-equipped with armchairs, including left-handed ones, wall fans and concave whiteboards.