Theme: Learning Continuity and Resilience Amidst

Crisis
Topic: REBUILDING SCHOOLS

Ladies and gentlemen, friends, good day!

My first topic is REBUILDING SCHOOLS.
According to an author, AMIT KALANTRI
“Memories make you sentimental,
Experiences make you smart.”
I would like to anchor this discussion on my
memories and experiences as a way of giving you
inspiration.

I. RESPONSE TO CRISIS depends upon the

A. Nature and Magnitude of the Crisis
1. Supertyphoon Yolanda in 2013 was the
worst damage on the education sector in
Easter Visayas. For schools
infrastructure alone, DepED Regional
office recorded
 2,157 totally collapsed
classrooms
 9,010 partially damaged
classrooms
Thousands of lives perished,
properties, jobs, homes were
lost.
And worst; hopes and dreams were shattered.
B. Challenge to Education
 During that time, we had no idea where to
start picking up pieces that has been left and
how long it will take to see our schools rise up
again. Recovering from that major setback seemed
close to impossible.
But DepED Eastern Visayas felt the urgency to
restore everything for the children`s welfare,
with a view of the school as a harbinger of hope
for its children and the schools to which they
belong.
We believed that education of children must
continue amidst crisis.
We needed to mobilize effectively and get
help where help was needed. Thus “Bangon DepED
was formed to unite all schools divisions to
plan on what steps to take for education to
return immediately.
Along with the task force, the Education
Cluster was also organized to fast-track
restoration, focusing on three planning areas
which were: access, quality, and governance.
DepED region 8 promptly took up this
challenge and mobilized the regional staff,
superintendents, supervisors, school heads and
teachers with the overarching goal to get the
schools back to operation which means:
1. to bring the children to learning
immediately;
2. to minimize disruption to their
education; and
3. to provide normalcy and protective
environment.
 All of us, school and community worked
together so that the students continued learning
even in Different/ and Difficult circumstances.
We then decided to
C. Use Flexible Learning System
Classes were conducted in
1. Temporary classroom which were
 Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS)
 Tents; and
 Make-shift classrooms
We made sure that our students acquired
permanent and lifelong learning even if they
studied in temporary classrooms. Life-long
learning is the provision of formal and informal
learning opportunities throughout people’s lives
to foster the continuous development and
improvement of necessary knowledge and skills
for employment and personal fulfillment.
2. Teachers and students used improvised
tables and chairs. In some classes,
there were even no chairs.
3. Flexi Schedule
There were no regular class schedules.
Classes were flexible, e.g. (M-W-F; or T-Th)
depending on availability of temporary
classrooms. Double or triple shifts were
employed.
Flexi time was also adopted, e.g.
9-12 am; 1-3 pm
 4. Content curriculum focused only on
core subjects.
5. Flexible delivery modes were used.
 Face to face (dominant mode)
 Self-learning activities
 Group learning activities
 Mix of modalities depending upon
the learners
 Use of multi-level grouping

D. Recovery and Resumption of Classes

The recovery was an uphill battle for us but
we made it with the help of various sectors:
e.g.
-DepED and non-DepED institutions
-Non-government organizations, local and
international
-Humanitarian groups
-Concerned individuals and private sector

They supported continuing education through

their various program interventions. The support
eased the burden and helped DepED to make its
first steps to recovery. Soon schools proved to
be resilient, able and ready to move on.
On January 6, 2014, when schools were clear,
clean and safe, exactly 2 months after the
typhoon, all schools in Eastern Visayas resumed
regular classes.
II. REBUILDING SCHOOLS… (Restoring Lives;
Rekindling Hope)
 Means building back what had been destroyed;
our infrastructures, classrooms, facilities
and most importantly building back the dreams
of our school children.
A. Rebuilding of infrastructure focused on
BUILDING BACK BETTER CLASSROOMS
The repaired and the newly-constructed
classrooms became better, (beautiful), stronger
because these are (typhoon and earthquake-
resilient buildings] and they are much more
conducive to learning.
B. Teaching-Learning materials and
educational resources such as desks, chairs,
tables, blackboards, etc. were available.
C. Uniforms for students and teachers were
distributed by concerned private individuals and
organizations.
D. Learners` backpacks with school supplies
and materials were provided.
E. Psychosocial support for teachers and
students were given.
F. Training of teachers were conducted.
DepED Eastern Visayas rose to the massive
challenge of building back not only the schools,
but more importantly, the lives of children,
teachers and the community they live in.
As things returned to normal, hope once again
burned in the hearts of students and teachers.

My next topic is RESILIENCE

 Dealing with change is an inevitable part of
life. At some point, everyone experiences
varying degrees of setbacks. Some of these
challenges might be relatively minor while
others are disastrous on a much longer scale.
How you and I deal with these problems can play
a significant role in not only the outcome but
also the long-term psychological consequences.
May I ask you some questions…
 Do you have the resilience that you need
to overcome your challenges?
 Do you let your failures derail your
dreams?
 And what could you accomplish if you had
the strength to give up?
Your answers may determine whether you
have resilience or none.
Resilience is your ability, our ability to
adapt and bounce back when things don`t go as
planned.
It is the mental reservoir of strength that
people are able to call to cope with stress and
hardship.
 Have you ever wondered why some people
seem to remain calm in the face of
disaster? Or do you now of somebody who
is always calm in times of crisis?
People that can keep their cool have what
psychologists call resilience, or an ability to
cope with problems and setbacks.

Why do we need resilience?

 So that we have the strength and fortitude to
overcome adversity; and to keep on moving
forward towards our dreams and goals.

Resilient people
-don`t wallow or dwell on failures
-acknowledge the situation
-learn from their mistakes
-move forward
-are able to utilize their skills and
strengths to cope and recover from problems and
challenges.
Let me give you a real example. When classes
were conducted in tents and there were no
blackboards,
Improvised educational resources were used:
like.. “Hanging Display”.. This was a wire or a
rope installed where teachers and students hung
their activity sheets, artwork, etc. using
clothes pins.

Elements Essential to Resilience

1. Challenge: They view a difficulty as a
challenge
2. Commitment: Are committed to their lives
and goals.
3. Personal Control- Spend their time and
energy focusing on situations that they
have control. Because they put their
efforts where they can have the most
 impact, they feel overpowered and
confident.
-handle difficulties in ways
that foster strength and
growth
4. Permanence- people who are optimistic
(have more resilience) see the efforts of
bad events as temporary rather than
permanent.
5. Pervasiveness- They don`t let setbacks or
bad events affect other unrelated areas of
their lives.
6. Personalization -They don’t blame
themselves.
Another example.. Most schools suffered
tremendous damage. The few schools that
survived were used as evacuation centers by
people who lost their homes. During daytime,
rooms were used as classrooms; a nighttime,
rooms were used as homes.

OTHER ATTRIBUTES COMMON in Resilient People

-Have positive image of the future. They
maintain a positive outlook, and envision
brighter days ahead.
- Have solid goals, and a desire to achieve
those goals
- Are empathetic and compassionate
-Never think of themselves as victims- they
focus their time and energy on changing the
things that they have control over.
 *How we view adversity and stress strongly
affects how we succeed, and thus is one of the
most significant reasons that having a resilient
mindset is so important.
Overall, resilience gives us the power to
overcome setbacks, so that we can live the life
we`ve always imagined.

GOD BLESS AND KEEP SAFE.