Dumaguete city: The Department of Education (DepEd) - Dumaguete City Schools Division is gearing up for the week-long Brigada Eskwela to be held starting Monday, back-to-back with Oplan Balik Eskwela, an official said Friday. Assistant division superintendent Juditha Mapue told the Philippine News Agency that a launch program is set at the Magsaysay Elementary School in Barangay Pulantubig here early Monday morning.

According to Philippines News Agency, there will also be a simultaneous launching in all of the schools covered by the division, as they are ready for the opening of classes on June 8. Brigada Eskwela, known as National Schools Maintenance Week, is a nationwide volunteer initiative by the Department of Education that unites parents, teachers, and community members to clean, fix, and ready public schools for the start of classes.

Oplan Balik Eskwela is a yearly national program by the DepEd aimed at facilitating a seamless, secure, and orderly start of classes. This initiative brings together government entities and stakeholders to simplify enrollment and address shared public issues.

The student population this school year is expected to slightly increase from last year's approximately 22,000. Meanwhile, Mapue noted that they have an excess of teachers to meet the requirements of the 18 elementary and eight secondary schools in the city. The division currently has 913 teachers, with some being underloaded, which is why the central office has not assigned new teaching positions.

Mapue also mentioned that the ongoing fuel crisis has an insignificant effect on the learners, considering that qualified students are provided with government subsidies.