ELEMENTARY pupils of Lumbia Central School in Barangay Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro will no longer hold their classes inside a tent as SM Prime Holdings in partnership with SM Foundation and BDO Foundation recently turned over a four-classroom building for the students’ use.

Linda Atayde, SM Foundation executive director, said the school building, which supports the adopt-a-school program of the Department of Education, aims to decongest classroom shortage in the public school education system.

Atayde said the classrooms are each equipped with restrooms, blackboards, chairs, desks and ceiling fans.

BUSINESS tycoon Hans Sy, president of SM Prime Holdings, talks to the pupils of Lumbia Central School during the turnover of a four-classroom school building recently. (Joey P. Nacalaban)

“The pupils will no longer worry. All they have to do is just move in and hold their class in their new building,” she said.

Atayde said the donated classroom will surely aid the scarcity of classroom considering the present situation of the school that has doubled its population after some pupils who are presently residing at the Lumbia relocation site whose houses were washed out by Tropical Storm Sendong last year are currently enrolled in the school.

She said since 2002, their foundation had already turned over 48 classrooms nationwide, which will be maintained every two years for future students to enjoy.

School principal Dr. Conniebel C. Nistal thanked the donors for the new classrooms.

Nistal said she really pity her students since some of them are holding their classes at the covered court and tents inside the school.

She said since June this year, their population had almost doubled, reaching 2,013 from 1,283, majority of whom are Sendong survivors.

“The new classrooms will be used by the grade six pupils,” Nistal said.

During the turnover, four computer sets and thousands of textbooks and reading materials were also handed over.

Aside from school buildings, SM Foundation also provides scholarship to deserving students under the SM College Scholarship Program.

The program was established by SM Foundation in 1993 to help provide quality education to intelligent but underprivileged public high school graduates. It has 1,200 college scholars nationwide who are enrolled in 82 colleges and universities in NCR, Baguio, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Lucena, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Rizal, Tarlac, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro City.

Hans Sy, president of SM Prime Holdings, personally came during the turnover.

Sy said giving classrooms as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility is their advocacy to help the country’s education system.

“I hope the donated classrooms will be maintained by the school administration so that many students will still benefit in the future,” he said.