ARMM turns over Army built school building to education officials

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=807715
• Thursday, September 24, 2015

(PNA), FFC/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, Sept. 24 (PNA) -- Officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) along with the military continue to build schools in Maguindanao while relative peace continue to prevail in the province.

On Wednesday, ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, 6th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan and Mayor Reshal Ampatuan of Datu Unsay, Maguindanao led the turn over of a two-classroom, PHP650,000-worth school building to the Datu Unsay Central Elementary School in Datu Unsay town, Maguindanao.

The 6ID’s engineering brigade has undertaken the construction of the building with funds provided by the autonomous regional government.

The new building helps address classroom shortage in the school that has a student population of 714.

Bai Elena Ibrahim, principal of Datu Unsay Central Elementary School, said the classrooms will be used by Grade 5 pupils.

Ibrahim admitted that with only a total of 13 classrooms, they still lack classrooms to accommodate all their students.

She said some sections in Grades 5 and 6 have to simultaneously take classes under one classroom and the school’s faculty, composed of 32 teachers, has to use a makeshift hut as office.

"We thank the ARMM government because this is really a big help to us,” Ibrahim said.

For Grade 5 pupil Rehana Tuan, 14, having to share a single classroom with students from another section made learning more difficult.

“We have a hard time listening to our lessons,” she said in the vernacular. "With this new school building, we are encouraged to make good with our studies."

She said the new building will help her and other students in the class focus more on their lessons.

Hataman emphasized the importance of education in achieving peace and resolving issues in the community.

“Education is a good investment because it is the key to change the situation in the community," Hataman said.

The project started last June 1 was completed on September 11, 2015.

Maj. Gen. Pangilinan said 6th ID’s involvements in the infrastructure projects with the support of ARMM began as part of the joint peace and development efforts that aim to uplift the lives of the constituents of Maguindanao.

He said one of his priorities is giving importance to activities which will promote education. He stressed that soldiers will continue to build schools despite the presence of "liquidation threats" in the area.

It can be recalled that two soldiers belonging to the 34th Infantry Battalion were among those working on the construction of the school building who were liquidated shortly after the project started sometime in June.

The soldier-carpenters, in civilian clothes, were on board a motorbike from the brigade headquarters bringing with them carpentry tools when two suspected Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters ambushed them near the elementary school grounds.

Despite the incident, the soldiers pushed with the school building project until it was completed.