IT”S school time again! Some may be a little sad that the end of summer is fast approaching, while others just can’t wait to go back to school and look forward to new things: social scenes, teachers, classmates and friends.

Barely two weeks prior to the opening of classes, students and parents are usually on the “stretch” of their preparations, last-minute school-supplies shopping, completion of school requirements, paying tuition, picking up uniforms, among other things.

While households are in a frenzy preparing for this event, the government also has its own busy activities to ensure the smooth opening of classes this June for the 20.8 million students nationwide.

Oplan Balik Eskwela is a program initiated by the Department of Education and was first implemented for school year 2005-2006. It is an interagency convergence composed of the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Health, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation and Communications, Manila Electric Co., Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Metropolitan Water Sewerage System, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (Pagasa) and the Philippine National Police. 

As early as the last week of April, the DTI has been coordinating with manufacturers and retailers of school supplies to get assurance that there are enough school materials in the market to answer the demand during the buying months of May and June.

Intensified price monitoring has been implemented after these manufacturers and retailers committed that the price of pad papers, pencils, crayons and some brands of notebook will be kept at last year’s level.

The trade department also started information campaigns to remind consumers to be more discerning of quality over price when buying school supplies in the market. In the long run, more savings can be incurred from buying reliable products than from those that are cheaper but easily damaged.

On the other hand, the DepEd predicts an increase in the enrollment rate in public elementary and high schools this year because of the strict implementation of Department Order No.19, Series of 2008, or the “no collection policy.”

The order mandates that no fees shall be collected from schoolchildren enrolling in preschool up to Grade 4, during the enrolment period and at any time during the school year. Prohibition covers, among others, the authorized but voluntary contributions such as Boy Scout of the Philippines, Girl Scout of the Philippines, Red Cross, Anti-TB Fund and Parents, Teachers and Community Association (PTCA).

It likewise prohibits collection of any fund during the enrollment period and the first month of classes from Grades 5 and 6 pupils. “Contributions for Boy and Girl Scouts membership, Red Cross, Anti-TB Fund drive, PTCA, school publications and membership in student organizations shall be collected on the second month, but only on a voluntary basis.”

Meanwhile, other government agencies who are members of Oplan Balik Eskwela have also started their respective campaigns to provide much- needed support to ensure the smooth operations before and during the school opening. 

Agencies focused on  health and sanitation have been conducting fogging operations, declogging and cleaning operations in estero, canals and waterways and activation of programs to monitor reports of dengue and other related diseases.

Police visibility has also been committed to deter criminal activities and ensure the safety of schoolchildren. Local police will be dispatched to maintain peace and order at school vicinities while intensifying the prevention of commonly committed crimes in schools such as kidnapping and theft.

The MMDA, on the other hand, reported that it has been speeding up the completion of construction works in major roads to ease traffic in these thoroughfares. They will also monitor the traffic situation, adopt appropriate action, conduct massive cleaning operations in school zones and assist in putting up signages to ensure road safety.

Pagasa also assured to give the DepEd regular weather updates and issue advance warnings before the arrival of typhoons to guide school officials.  The weather bureau reiterates that for Signal No. 1, no classes in preparatory and elementary levels; Signal No. 2, no classes in both elementary and high school levels; and for Signal No. 3, there will be no classes in elementary and high school levels including college and suspension of work in government offices.

Knowing what the government has been up to just to ensure the smooth opening of classes, ready or not, students have to go back to school. Here are some ways to make the most out of the new school year and make life a little easier for students:

Plan ahead. Get a wall calendar or personal planner. Mark the dates of exams and due dates of term papers, essays and other projects as they are assigned. List any other time commitments like basketball practice or play rehearsals. When your calendar starts to fill, learn to say no to additional or extracurricular activities until things calm down.

Try not to fall behind. If you feel like falling behind and starting to feel frustrated, let your teachers know. Almost everyone struggles with a particular subject or class, so if you’re having trouble with a particular subject or homework project, ask your teacher for extra help after class.

Listen up. Paying attention in class can actually pay off in the long run. Actively listening and taking notes during lectures can make recalling information easier when time comes to study and remember things.

Take notes. If you take notes and review them before class begins, you can ask the teacher to go over anything you don’t understand. Learning good note-taking skills helps put you ahead of the curve in preparation for college, when good listening skills and lecture notes are keys to doing well.

School, aside from being a place to make friends and try new things, is also where we learn skills like organization and decision-making that will come in handy for the rest of our lives. Enjoy school year 2008-2009.

THE unabated increase in oil and food prices has forced the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) to revise its growth targets for the next two years downward, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

THE Export Development Council (EDC) is now targeting to submit to Malacañang for approval the new three-year Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) by the middle of the year with six new key challenges being taken into consideration.

THE national government and the Japanese government are now in the process of creating a medium-term framework that will serve as a blueprint for Japan’s assistance to the Philippines in the next five years, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

THE province of Saskatchewan in Canada will need 10,000 to 12,000 Filipino skilled workers to fill in the increasing demands of its labor market in the next five years, says its top official visiting the Philippines.

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted the temporary ban on all imports of domestic and wild birds, along with poultry and its products from the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, following official confirmation showing that the avian influenza (AI) virus in the prairie area no longer exists in the last three months.

THE Philippine government expects to save up to $500 million annually from rice imports with the rice self-sufficiency master plan it has rolled out.

PLANT coffee and earn! National Coffee Development Board (NCDB) co-chairperson Pacita Juan advises farmers to go back to planting coffee, the price of which has shot up by nearly 400 percent.

IT”S school time again! Some may be a little sad that the end of summer is fast approaching, while others just can’t wait to go back to school and look forward to new things: social scenes, teachers, classmates and friends.