045 BALIK ESKWELA NA! (5)
School opening day—June 5—went quite well. It was actually better than anyone would have expected. Under the banner of Oplan Balik Eskwela, our plan was to spend the entire morning around Metro Manila, visiting schools, with Education Secretary Butch Abad explaining to the media the real situation on the ground.
We wanted transparency, so we brought the television, radio and print reporters to Batasan Hills National High School, to the dismay of some quarters at the department’s Central Office. My argument for going is simply this—media would go there anyway! Best we bring them there to show that the leadership of the education department can be trusted, as what we were trying to communicate under Abad.
The strategy actually worked, I think, since we were never blamed for the dire situation there (specifically, the classrooms that were split in two, with each half having over 60 students!). Abad explained it well—the local government is constructing a new building, population in the area continues to grow, etc. etc.—in short, it’s not anyone’s fault! What’s important was that we all lend a hand to find solutions to this and all other problems in basic education.
We went to another school in nearby Payatas, since it too had a story to tell (of course). Then we went to Manila—Ramon Magsaysay High School—to showcase the innovations of the principal there to make it possible to accommodate all students comfortably, despite the shortage of classrooms.
We were to return immediately to our Balik Eskwela Command Center at the department’s Central Office in Pasig for a press conference with our “convergence” partners, the various government agencies and utility companies that helped us with our school opening preparations.
But while we were at Magsaysay HS, we got word that the president wanted Abad to go immediately to Malacanang Palace. There, the president happily took note of how well organized the department’s preparations were and congratulated Abad—on camera—for a job well done (insert mic drop here).
We had our own press conference as soon as Abad returned to Pasig from the palace. Everyone was in good spirits that afternoon and all the way to the evening, with Abad hosting a celebratory dinner for us at a nearby restaurant.
It was a job well done, for sure.
But despite the accolades, including the presidential seal of approval, the true measure of Oplan Balik Eskwela’s success was that there were no negative headlines the next day, as Abad earlier feared.
Confusion did not mar the opening of school year 2005-2006.