Presidential aspirant Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso wants to upskill teachers, a way to help them improve teaching techniques in a tech-savvy generation and stay relevant in classrooms.
Domagoso led other city officials in breaking ground Thursday the Ramon Magsaysay High School (RMHS) in Sampaloc.
At the event, he said aside from improving school facilities in the city, he hoped to help teachers develop and master their skills, improving the quality of education in the country.
“Someday, hindi lang natin pagbubutihin at ibibigay ‘yung magandang pasilidad para sa mga estudyante ngunit tayo’y mamumuhunan din na pagbutihin, palakasin at dagdagan ang skills set ng mga guro. Palarin nawa tayo. Isa sa susi ng tagumpay ng tao ay ang edukasyon (we will not only improve the facilities for the students, but we will also invest in improving, strengthening and upskilling the teachers. I hope we get lucky. One of the keys to success is education),” Domagoso said.
RMHS is the fourth school being rebuilt by the city government under Domagoso.
Once finished, the new school will have 232 air-conditioned classrooms in a 10-storey building that houses 18 offices and faculty rooms, a library at the second floor, an administration building, auditorium, gymnasium, play area, an outdoor sports area at the roofdeck, a canteen at the ground floor, eight elevator units, and parking spaces.
Expressing his gratitude, Gene Pangilinan, the school principal said the rebuilding would allow them to accommodate more students.
The school’s current student capacity is only 4,000, but has a total of 6,380 students enrolled this school year.
“Dapat baguhin ito upang bigyang katuparan ang pangarap ng mga magulang at susunod na henerasyon, lubos naming niyayakap ang mga pagbabagong mangyayari (There should be change to be able to help fulfill the dreams of many parents and the next generation. We fully embrace the changes that will happen),” he said.
Division of City Schools of Manila Superintendent Dr. Maria Magdalena Lim said RMHS is one of the top performing schools in the country, and one of the three schools nationwide that excelled in the Program for International Students Assessment in 2019.
With the new RMHS, Magdalena said the school would eventually offer a Senior High School program.
The three other Manila schools currently under construction are the Dr. Alejandro Albert Elementary School also in Sampaloc, Rosauro Almario Elementary School in Tondo, and the Manila Science High School along Taft Avenue.
Source: Philippines News Agency