TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang filed two separate bills in the House of Representatives that seek to establish two independent high schools to boost the access to education of students coming from the remote villages of the province.
One of Mangaoang’s bills seeks to separate the Tabuk City National High School – Bantay Extension in Barangay Bantay, Tabuk City from the Tabuk City National High School and converting the same into an independent national high school to be known as the Bantay National High School and appropriating funds for the purpose while the other proposed legislative measure also seeks to separate the Balbalan Agriculture and Industrial School – Balbalan Proper Extension in Balbalan Proper from the Balbalan Agriculture and Industrial School, converting it into an independent national high school to be known as Eastern Balbalan National High School and appropriating funds for the said purpose.
Under the proposed bills, all assets, liabilities and records of the two schools will be transferred to and absorbed by the independent national high schools that will be created once the same shall be signed into law.
The bills tasked the Education Secretary to include in the agency’s program, the operationalization of the two independent national high schools, the initial funding of which shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations of both mother schools.
Further, the Education Secretary will be mandated to formulate the rules and regulations implementing the provisions of the proposed bills within 120 days after their effectivity.
Mangaoang claimed that the Bauko National High School – Bantay Extension has been existing for 5 years and it was opened to cater to indigent students from Barangay Bantay and its nearby barangays who are mostly beneficiaries of the governments Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and financially incapable of going to schools far from their barangays.
At present, the school has a student population of 125 with 8 teachers and that the school site was acquired through a deed of donation and accessible to all forms of vehicle transportation.
According to him, due to the increased population in barangay Bantay and nearby barangays, there is an indication that student enrolees will drastically increase in the coming years.
On the other hand, Mangaoang explained that the Balbalan Agriculture and Industrial School – Balbalan proper extension was opened in 2010 to cater to 22 high school freshmen from barangay Balbalan Proper who cannot afford to attend the high school more than 3 kilomters from their barangay.
Currently, the extension school is offering Grade 7 to 10 with more than 150 students coming from Barangays Balbalan Proper and Maling in Balbalan town and Barangay Balinciagao Norte, Magsilay and Cagaluan of Pasil town.
He claimed that the school is currently manned by 7 teachers, including the school head, 4 of which are from the mother school and 2 from the Western Kalinga National High School.
Mangaoang stated that with the creation of the 2 independent high schools, the capability of the schools as catalysts of change will be enhanced considering that they will have their own budget and necessary work force to pursue developing and improving the knowledge and skills of their growing clientele. By HENT