A Classroom Without Walls

By Yolanda C. Vicente

I was on my way to the last school for the day, San Remegio Elementary School at Kaputian District in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS).  This was my first time to visit the school since the start of the SBMC-CoRE (School Based Management and Community Collaboration on Reforms in Education) project implementation in IGACOS.  Before my scheduled visit, I tried to contact the principal several times to invite him to attend the orientation.  Unfortunately, there was no response from him.  I was told that communication signals were at best intermittent within their locality.

As I entered the premises, I saw two classrooms filled with teachers and students.  I also saw parents chatting with one another while waiting for their children’s dismissal from school.  Further along, I saw a small nipa hut (kubo) near the school building caught my attention.  It had at least 30 students under its roof. The make-shift classroom’s walls were the green and lush field around it.  A black board stood in front, while the children squeezed themselves on the hut’s benches and chairs.  The hut was cramped and there were no decent armchairs to sit and write on