Public schools lack facilities for sports

Physical education (PE) is one of the most anticipated subjects by students since it helps relieve stress from the usual school grind of projects and papers. But how can the students enjoy PE if their school lacks sports facilities because of fund shortage?

According to Chief Engineer Oliver Hernandez of the Department of Education (DepEd)-Physical Facilities and School’s Engineering Division (PFSED), the government focuses more on building infrastructure and classrooms for academic purposes, which he said are not even adequate in some parts of the country.

The DepEd-PFSED reported that Metro Manila is one of the regions in the country with a “high” classroom shortage, along with Region IV-A, Region VII and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

In 2006, Geronimo Santiago Elementary School in Manila and Payatas High School in Quezon City, three sections were squeezed into a single classroom. Curtains and plywood were used to subdivide the classrooms into two “sub-classrooms.” Each “sub-classroom” had 70 students, nearly double the government-prescribed 45 students per classroom ratio.

“[There’s] not enough budget. Pag enough na sa education, wala na para sa sports [the budget is solely for classroom education, nothing for sports development]. Even if there’s an urge to make [sports facilities] a priority, if we lack the budget, it is useless,” Hernandez said.

Local governments usually provide and maintain the sports facilities in public schools and claim they own them. This is evident with the signboards in some covered basketball courts proclaiming the political patron who “donated” funds for the renovation of the facilities.

Hernandez said that in Metro Manila, most public schools have basketball courts that are used for different sports like volleyball and badminton, while a track oval is granted to schools in the provinces usually to a science high school. He did not give exact figures since “collection of data for school mapping is still in progress.”

Funding for Palaro
If there is any consolation, it is in the government’s spending for the sports facilities of schools that produce competent athletes and in places where athletic activities are held like the Palarong Pambansa—a year-long activity, hosted by a region selected by the Palaro Board of Directors.

According to DepEd Task Force on School Sports consultant Len Toledo, the budget of the department for the recent Palarong Pambansa was spent mostly for the restoration of the sports facilities.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said that it has no allotted budget for sports facilities in state universities and local colleges, because they focus more on the development of instructional, research and laboratory facilities.

“Sponsors [congressmen, mayors or others] provide the funds and maintenance for the sports facilities and a hundred peso is collected from the student’s fee for the sports festival and/or other amenities,” said CHED Budget Division chief Violeta Galo.

This is sad fact Toledo said since he believes that sports can help the youth become better individuals.

“Through sports, you learn discipline, values and lessons on how to react to the environment, also the concept of ‘sound mind, sound body,’” he said.

But the PFSED noted that sports facilities in public schools are “not that good” and a school only spends for the maintenance of such facilities if there is anything left for the funds allocated for Maintenance Operation and Other Expenses.

“This can be a wake-up call for the government since we produce champions. The government should allocate a budget that would focus on the improvement of sports facilities among schools,” Hernandez said. –KEECIA BIANCA R. BINAOHAN and MA. KATHLEEN J. OCAMPO Special To The Manila Times