00:00According to Teacher Chris, who also studied here and graduated,
00:06he is just a student and their school already has a problem with flooding every year.
00:12It's normal for them to walk in the water when going to class.
00:18In our life here, we always expect that by the end of July,
00:26until mid-November, the floods will really come.
00:32So, what is not common to us,
00:35when it happens that this year there is no water or no floods,
00:40we are like, huh? Why is there no flood now?
00:43Our thoughts are different.
00:46It's like every year, we know what our routine will be in life.
00:53So, it became a struggle.
00:56At the same time, that is also the motivation we used
01:02so that in the future, we can help the school that we graduated from.
01:10But a few decades have passed,
01:13the struggles of teachers and students here are still the same.
01:18According to the Department of Education or DepEd,
01:21more than 5,000 or 16.3% of elementary schools in the country are flooded every year.
01:32Aside from the classrooms that cannot enter because of the floods,
01:35it is also painful for them that the equipment used in teaching is damaged by the floods,
01:41especially textbooks.
01:43This is a big help to students, especially those who live in poor communities.
01:51Most of them are in grades 5 and 6.
01:55When I was studying there as an elementary school student,
01:58even if our textbooks were damaged,
02:03my teachers were able to save them.
02:06So, I thought, is it that hard for the Philippines to provide textbooks?
02:14So, that was early to middle 90s.
02:18And then, history is still repeating itself.
02:23It's sad to say, there is no school year that the books are complete for the students.
02:29It's not a one-to-one, it's not a ratio.
02:35We tried to get an interview with the Department of Education
02:38and with the San Nicolas Elementary School,
02:41but they did not let us in.
02:43As of now, the construction of the new school building in San Nicolas continues.
02:48It is said to be two-story, and it is expected that it will not be flooded.
02:54While waiting for it, the children continue to study.
02:59Even in the books, the teachers and students of the San Nicolas Elementary School
03:05are persistent so that education will not be cut off.
03:09Even if the princess does not have a textbook to use now,
03:12this is not a barrier to her desire to learn to read.
03:19When she asks for a small amount of money,
03:21she goes to the town to watch online videos in the internet shop.
03:25Instead of vlogs or reels, reading tutorials are what the princess loves to watch.
03:32I go to the computer shop.
03:35I watch and read so that I can learn at the same time.
03:40Sometimes Tagalog, sometimes English.
03:44Sometimes Tagalog, sometimes English.
03:47When I watch, I learn.
03:55Like the teachers and students,
03:57in any public school, the San Nicolas Elementary School students are firm and persistent.
04:04It is proven that their hope and commitment to learn will never be affected by floods.
04:11But at the same time, they hope that flooding will be solved in their area
04:16because education is a big hurdle in their lives.
04:41San Nicolas Elementary School
04:43San Nicolas Elementary School
04:46San Nicolas Elementary School
Comments