Xavier University (XU) donated 500 chairs to the Lumbia Central School Southwest District. The chairs were turned over yesterday, June 25, at the school’s covered courts. Mr. Roel R. Ravanera, chairperson of the XU Lumbia Resettlement Project delivered the turn over message. Dr. Daisy Lu, Master Teacher II, said “I cannot explain in words how happy I am” as she received the chairs together with some of her pupils.
The giving of chairs is XU’s response to the shortage of classroom facilities happening in Lumbia Central School due to the influx of new enrollees. A large number of these enrollees are from Xavier Ecoville, the XU-led resettlement site for 500 households affected by the TS Sendong survivors.
This school year, there are more than 800 new enrollees, the highest number Lumbia Central School has ever had. The teachers admit to have not been able to anticipate the sudden surge of new students. They are holding emergency classes which start as early as six in the morning while some last up to six in the evening. Right now, there are as much as 70 students per class, with nine new sections added in the grade levels. This scenario makes the existing classrooms insufficient for the current number of students.
Even the school library is being used as a classroom to accommodate the big classes. Lumbia Central School is in need of more classrooms to facilitate and ensure the quality of learning of its students.
