‘Teacher Marcos’ checks students’ reading skills

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. went to the Epifanio de los Santos Elementary School (EDSES) in Manila on Monday to see firsthand how the opening of classes went.

EDSES is one of the oldest public schools in Manila and teaches over 3,000 learners.

During his visit, he was greeted by the teaching staff and officers of the Schools Division Office of the City of Manila.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara escorted the President into the classrooms to meet the children.

Marcos engaged Grade 1 students in a reading activity. Holding a flash card, he tested the reading abilities of the learners.

Learners read phrases in Filipino such as tasa (cup), pito (whistle), pato (duck), siso (seesaw), mami (noodle soup), and kubo (nipa hut).

Afterwards, Marcos roamed around the school and met with school principal Jenneth Salanga, who showed him the security measures and other protocols of the school.

He also took a peek at other schools across the country connected via teleconference.

Before leaving, Marcos posed for a photo with teachers and school staff.

School capacity

According to Salanga, EDSES offers classes from Kindergarten to Grade 6.

There are 108 classrooms on the school grounds, with several multi-level buildings housing different grade levels.

Currently, the school has 121 teachers, which is enough to cover one shift.

Teacher-to-student ratio

Kindergarten classes have one teacher for every 20 students; for Grades 1 to 3, each classroom has one teacher for 25 students; and for Grades 4 to 6, one teacher handles 35 students.

For the Alternative Learning System, the school has 22 students, most of whom are out-of-school youth.

LGU support

The local government of Manila has provided each school in the city with school supplies, school bags, and Physical Education uniforms.

School supplies include notepads, notebooks, and writing materials.