Paranaque public education system gets boost in time for SY 2014-2015

Parañaque City Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez today announced major improvements in the city’s public education system for the upcoming school year that starts next month with the opening of four new school campuses and the offering of bachelor’s degree courses at the city-funded Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Parañaque campus.

He said the PUP campus, which used to offer only diploma or three-year courses, will now have bachelor’s degree or four-year courses in Information Technology, Computer Science and Hospitality Management after the PUP Board of Regents approved the city government’s request to offer them.

“We have made education a top priority; we are improving not only our public school facilities but also our course offerings so that our young people are given the opportunity to land better jobs and thus partake of the fruits of our city’s economic development,” the mayor said.

Mayor Olivarez said the PUP Parañaque campus expects an additional 400 freshmen enrolled in the new courses starting this school year, bringing the school’s total population to about 1,000 students.

The campus is fully funded by the city, from the salaries of teachers and non-teaching staff to the maintenance of the school facilities. It is currently the only public tertiary school in Parañaque.

Aside from the upgrade of courses at PUP, Mayor Olivarez also announced the opening in July of the Parañaque City College, which will initially offer TESDA courses. The PCC, which is also fully funded by the city, plans to offer bachelor’s degree courses starting school year 2015-2016.

Earlier, the mayor announced the opening of four new elementary and high school campuses that will add a total of 130 new classrooms to the city’s public school system starting this June.

One of the new facilities is a 24-classroom school building for the Tambo Elementary School which has been inaugurated early this month. Also slated to open before the start of classes are new classrooms for the Barangay Marcelo Green Elementary School, the Don Bosco National High School and the Barangay San Isidro Elementary School.

“This is the first time in the history of our city that we are opening these many new schools at the same time,” Mayor Olivarez said.