05/06/2026
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๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ'๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐๐ค
Every school year, a few days before the school bell โcollecting dust over time โ rings for the first time in a while, something extraordinary happens across thousands of public schools in the Philippines. Parents, students, and the community come together with each playing a role suited to what they can offer. Donations, service, and time, Brigada Eskwela (School Brigade), a program created by the Department of Education (DepEd), is a yearly event that knits people of all ages and positions together, for the single goal of refurbishing and preparing the school for the upcoming first day.
Young pupils, parents and guardians, and the ever-hard-working teachers and school personnel do little things, that, when done as a team go a long way. For many, it is among their first lessons in civic responsibility.
No one is better suited to care for a place than the people who lived and loved it, and as said by Irene C. Bulan, Compostela National High School Senior High Focal person said, โIts not only about the physical contributions but the prominent impact not only on the school but also the learners". To call it a maintenance activity is to miss the point entirely, because itโs a declaration that a school belongs to its community.
โIt's not only a conclusive place for learning, but also a safe place for both junior high and senior high students due to the success of the Brigada Eskwelaโ as stated by Bulan, its not about just being facilities for education, but a place that students would want to go to because of the comfort and inclusivity. What makes Brigada Eskwela distinct is that it promotes participation, reducing cases of teachers having to spend out of their budgets and pockets just to make their classrooms and environment more functional even when their paychecks are less than what they deserve. A practice born out of dedication, but also of a system that has not always been able to fully supply what classrooms need, and a sad reality teachers have long learned to accept as an obligation. A sacrifice rarely discusses in policy circle in politics, but well understood in faculty rooms.
With kind donations helping ease burdens on both teachers and incoming student, lessening tendencies of future financial contributions for small things like chalk, brooms, brushes, curtains, cleaning supplies and sometimes even fans to counter the Philippines scorching weather. . It also showcases that educators arenโt just limited to the role of teaching, because they often take on the duty of project managers and coordinators.
When the school year begins and desks and chairs fill with children, they arenโt just surrounded by four wallsโbut by the visible proof that many people worked, gave, and showed up for them. That Brigada Eskwela is more than just an annual National Schools Maintenance Week.
Words: Vianca Jen Salinas
Pubmat: Novah Colot
Photos: Hedrix Pagador
