Mayor Weslie ‘Wes’ Gatchalian, in collaboration with Vice Mayor Lorie Natividad-Borja, recently declared the distribution of 80,000 “Balik Eskwela” kits targeted at Kindergarten to Grade 6 students in the city’s public elementary institutions.
The announcement, made via a video shared on the city’s official Facebook page on Sunday, Aug. 6, reiterated the importance of the livelihood program, which began in 2014. This initiative was designed to support parents in addressing their children’s academic necessities.
Read more: Gov’t to aid poor households pay their electric bills
Mayor Gatchalian commented, “Vice-Mayor Lorie and I are well-aware of the monetary strain faced by parents each school year. The apprehension parents experience due to the significant financial demands of education is something we recognize. Through this endeavor, we hope to not only alleviate these expenses but also enhance the quality of educational tools, thereby motivating students to be more diligent in their studies.”
To facilitate this initiative, the city government has allocated approximately P67,590,967.18 for the creation of the 80,000 school kits. Distribution will commence on Monday, Aug. 7, across 42 public elementary schools.
Each kit is equipped with essential educational tools, such as backpacks, lunch boxes, tumblers, crayons, pencil cases, notebooks, and other requisite school supplies.
Additionally, Vice Mayor Natividad-Borja acknowledged the efforts of graduating college students from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela who volunteered to prepare the kits for dissemination to the students.
This “Balik Eskwela” kits distribution is an integral component of Valenzuela City’s Education 360 Degrees program. Incepted in 2014, this program endeavors to elevate the standard of local basic education. This is achieved by significant investment in diverse educational domains, including the provision of school supplies, enhancing teachers’ proficiency, ensuring student nutrition, and infrastructure development.
Read more: Laguna Legislator Pushes for Scholarship Program to Address Social Worker Shortage
