BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
All public elementary students in Bacolod City will be receiving free school supplies from the Bacolod City Government this school year once the budget is released.
Bacolod Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Education, said the budget for the free school supplies will be taken from the Special Education Fund (SEF).
They will hold a meeting with the members of the Local School Board so that we can decide when to purchase the school supplies after determining the number of enrollees in the different public schools in Bacolod, he said.
The previous administration also provided free school supplies such as pencils, ballpens, notebooks, paper, crayons, ruler and bags to all pupils from grades one to six in all public elementary schools.
Espino said the city will allocate P15 million for the program this school year as provided in an ordinance approved in 2016 by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod that provides free educational materials to all students in public elementary schools in Bacolod that was authored by former councilor Caesar Distrito in 2016.
He said the opening of classes in public schools, which is blended learning, will be on August 22, while full face-to-face classes will start on November 2.*
