READING LITERACY RATE

Students are thrilled about the increased school capacity, and they want an improvement for their school so that it could expand and accommodate more students. And having an extension to the school is not new at this point. Building an annex to a school in various parts of the Philippines has become the “norm”.

In the Philippines, the word “annex” in schools are usually just next to each other or separated by a footbridge. But in this case, the Bagong Silangan High School Annex is located in Sitio Veterans, which is relatively far from the location of the main school. It is supposed to be a stand-alone school, so if you think about it, it is not really an “annex”.

Gen. Licerio Geronimo Integrated High School (GLGHIS) is the supposed name of this upcoming school which is called the BSHS annex for now. The construction began in 2019, and the main goal as to why they decided to build the school is to lower the number of students at BSHS.

The ongoing construction of the school’s extension has the advantage of admitting students who live around the area. However, is it actually helpful?

It’s a long distance from our school, the BSHS, and I still need to commute to get there. Other students who cannot afford transportation choose to walk to school. Regardless of how far it is.

Their plan remains a plan, because up to this day they still do not have plans on what to actually put in that annex. They surveyed the students of BSHS to see what SHS strands will be offered in that annex.

On the contrary, it is a great leap that the school administrators have undertaken. Both teachers and students were asked as to whether they will be studying or willing to be assigned in that annex. Results show a positive response. Students and teachers are willing to give it a try.

I suppose it is a convenience to many stakeholders, including me, who live in Sitio Veterans. Every day when I go to school, I see transportation as the students’ worst enemy. Hence, I would say it is adequate that they build an annex at the Veterans’ site. This is not only beneficial for the students, but also for the teachers who live near the vicinity of the annex.

The problem with transportation among the students and teachers living in Veterans who do not have enough money to commute will be solved. Absences and tardiness will be minimized considering that their school is nearby. Out-of-school youth including drop out rate will possibly be lessened. I believe that the construction of the BSHS’ annex is a plus, the many positive aspects this project has underscored in this article outweighed its negative impacts. Though the BSHS annex may bring some negative effects to the students, surely it’s still beneficial to a number of its stakeholders near the school.