“The Significance of Brigada Eskwela in Community Collaboration”

By: Sandra Olvido

I. Introduction

The school is an institution which responsible in molding the learners to become

responsible individual in the community and society. BrigadaEskwela (BE) program or
National Maintenance week is one of the school activities implemented by the DepEd for
the benefits of all not only for the students but also for the teachers, stakeholders,
employees and for the facilities or the school itself. This activity aims to prepare the school
facilities in the coming school year through the joint effort of teachers, students, parents
and the other stakeholders who engaged their time in fulfilling their roles for the upkeep
of school. Several task were rendered in this program for the betterment of school facilities
and improvement of the school itself, escalating its implementation to maintain its success
and go beyond the expected outcomes with the help of the community . Recognizing this
as best manifestation of school and community relationship, the problem lies on how the
administrators utilize effective procedures by which to help the public understand what
the schools are trying to do to attract the support of the community in their efforts to
provide a refine education, and on how to make the schools be likewise concerned with
the needs and problems of the community.

This study is being substantiated by the following research questions:

1. What are the legal basis of BRIGADA ESKWELA?
2. How do Brigada Eskwela promotes Community Collaboration ?
3. What ae the different activities being enforced during the Brigada Eskwela?
4. How do the participants respond to Brigada Eskwela?

Building of Assumption or Hypothesis.

Brigada Eskwela promotes Community Collaboration

II. Methodology
This chapter described the research method, research approach, instrumentation,
data-gathering.

I. Qualitative Research Method

Qualitative research is a process of naturalistic inquiry that seeks in-depth
understanding of social phenomena within their natural setting. It focuses on the "why"
rather than the "what" of social phenomena and relies on the direct experiences of human
beings as meaning-making agents in their every day lives. Rather than by logical and
statistical procedures, qualitative researchers use multiple systems of inquiry for the study
of human phenomena including biography, case study, historical analysis, discourse
analysis, ethnography, grounded theory and phenomenology.

II. Research Approach

Narrative research aims to explore and conceptualize human experience as it is
represented in textual form. Aiming for an in-depth exploration of the meanings people
assign to their experiences, narrative researchers work with small samples of
participants to obtain rich and free-ranging discourse. The emphasis is on storied
experience. Generally, this takes the form of interviewing people around the topic of
interest, but it might also involve the analysis of written documents

III. Results:
I. Related Literature
Brigada Eskwela was first establish under Republic Act No. 8525 February 14, 1998
An act establishing an "ADOPT-A-SCHOOL PROGRAM," providing incentives therefore,
and for other purpose. It is the policy of the State to provide quality and relevant education
to the Filipino youth and to encourage private initiative to support public education.
Towards this end, the State shall institute programs to encourage private companies and
enterprises to help in the upgrading and modernization of public schools in the country,
particularly those in poverty-stricken provinces Also, under Memorandum order
no.170,s. 2005 National Schools Maintenance Week, otherwise known as Brigada
Eskwela, is a nationwide effort to involve the community stakeholders in the minor repair
and maintenance of their public school buildings in order to get these ready for the
opening of classes. Declaration of the National Schools Maintenance Week. The
National Schools Maintenance Week, otherwise known as Brigada Eskwela, is hereby
set for May 16-21, 2005 under the organization and supervision of the Department of
Education (DepEd) as a wholly voluntary effort on the part of all communities, nationwide.
In addition to this, Anna Liza G Espellogo, a social studies teacher also said that Brigada
Eskwela was implemented under memorandum order no. 066, s. 2019, which is entitled
“ 2019 BRIGADA ESKWELA IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES” All DepEd are
encouraged to join the 2019 Brigada Eskwela activities by volunteering their skills,
sharing their time or providing in-kind support to public schools near their
residence. Interested employees are given two days to do volunteer work on official
time, provided that such work is approved by their heads of offices.
The success of its implementation lies in the collaborative effort of school heads, private
partners, local government units, and the community members, including parents and
students. Through the initiative of the school heads, private partners are given the
opportunity to contribute resources for the effort. And in honor of their goodwill, private
partners are offered tax incentives of up to 150%. Local government units and community
members mostly provide manpower and volunteer services during this week-long
activity. In addition, Rodel A. Barroga, a guidance councilor, community collaboration is
very important for ensuring quality facilities for education. It is a collective responsibility
of us all and we shouldn't rely on the Department of Education for all these.
Brigada Eskwela or the National Schools Maintenance Week is a nationwide initiative by
the Department of Education (DepEd) that mobilizes thousands of parents, alumni, civic
groups, local businesses, non-government organizations, teachers, students, and
individuals who volunteer their time and skills to do repairs, maintenance work, and clean-
up of public elementary and secondary schools. This nationwide caravan is held
simultaneously across the country’s 16 regions.
Smart has been a partner of DepEd for Brigada Eskwela for more than a decade,
mobilizing its employees to support the facility improvement program by cleaning,
repainting and repairing, gardening and landscaping and furnishing classrooms of
adopted public schools. To date, Smart has mobilized close to 1,500 employees who
participate in this annual activity. Respondent A, a parent, also said that Brigada Eskwela
activities such as leaking roof, and other school equipements are being fixed during the
said activity.
BrigadaEskwela better known as the Bayanihan Para sa Paaralan (Working Together for
Schools), added a new meaning to the Filipino notion of unity. From the image of barrio
men bearing together the weight of a bahaykubo (nipa hut) on their shoulders to the image
of volunteers braving storms and floods to help calamity-stricken communities,
BrigadaEskwela brings to us a picture of people from different sectors of society
repainting walls and blackboards, cleaning windows and doors, or repairing fences.
Provide a storyline 5 Over the years, the BrigadaEskwela has become the foundation for
community building. Its effort has evolved from a week-long cleaning-up and
beautification exercise to a festive coming together of students, teachers, schools
officials, parents, community members, local government officials, nongovernment
organizations, church groups and the private sector. It, too, has become one of the major
initiatives of DepED in enjoining local communities to respond to the needs of public
schools and be part of a nationwide effort towards improving Philippines basic education.
Moreover, Jovie Arandela, a Filipino teacher said that the respond of the participants are
all positive. All stakeholders are yearly participating in this kind of activity even school
alumni. For them Brigada Eskwela is more than just the rehabilitating of facilities and
school stuffs it is also like a tradition for them. They have expanded the concept of Brigada
Eskwela, besides to clean or beautify our schools, they also make sure they are safe and
prepared in time of disasters. Also , they do have activities during the national
maintenance week and expect to sustain it for the whole year round. Certificate
distribution as well as raffles are being done every after the long week of Brigada.

III. Discussion
Legal basis of Brigada is under Republic Act No. 8525. There is hereby established
the "Adopt-a-School Program" which will allow private entities to assist a public school,
whether elementary, secondary, or tertiary, preferably located in any of the twenty (20)
poorest provinces identified by the Presidential Council for Countryside Development
or any other government agency tasked with identifying the poorest provinces in, but
not limited to, the following areas: staff and faculty development for training and further
education; construction of facilities; upgrading of existing facilities, provision of books,
publications and other instructional materials; and modernization of instructional
technologies.
Brigada Eskwela promotes community collaboration through the initiative of the
participant such as school staff, teachers, students and other stakeholders of the
community. The impressive rate of volunteerism in this kind of activity proves the
innate kindness of participants this activity works positively and more efficient. As I
observe the collaboration between the participants, all of them are willing to do their
part for the betterment of not just the school itself but also for the whole school
community.
Brigada Eslwela is more than just about painting or cleaning schools in
preparation for the return of the students and for the coming school year. It’s also a
matter of seeing to it that we provide them the requisites of learners and the requisites
of a good learning environment namely, safe schools, supplies, furniture, equipment,
and good teachers. leaking roofs, dilapidated desks and chairs, unpaved grounds,
and vandalized, flaking walls-this is the scenario for many public schools in the
Philippines
The respond of the participants during Brigada Eskwela are clearly all positive. In
Brigada, bayanihan is very much alive through helping hands, and unrelenting
commitment to serve and improve the quality of education. They are all willing to do
everything to help the school for the betterment of its facilities for a good outcome of
education.

Conclusion
 I therefore conclude that, the there are positive changes that it creates both on the
physical appearance of the schools and the outlook of the people that take part in it.
Maybe, it is just a temporary solution for the facilities problem but Brigada is proof that an
effective partnership between the government and citizens is possible.

References:
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2005/05/13/memorandum-order-no-170-s-2005/
https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1008527
https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1998/ra_8525_1998.html
https://www.teacherph.com/2019-brigada-eskwela/
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/994217/deped-brigada-eskwela-needs-involvement-of-
community