LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — The Department of Education (DepEd) in the Cordillera here admitted that over 1,000 pupils and students are now suffering from overcrowding in various schools in the different parts of the region because of the lack of classrooms following the destruction of 259 school buildings following the onslaught of typhoon “Pepeng.”

Based on the assessment it submitted to the Cordillera Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (CRDCC), the education department cited that there were 820 classrooms which were heavily damaged in the different parts of the region due to the typhoon, with 259 needing immediate rehabilitation.

In Abra, there were 31 classrooms which were damaged by the typhoons while 28 were reportedly ruined in Apayao.

In Baguio City, there were 11 damaged classrooms that were recorded while 34 were destroyed in Benguet.

The DepEd added that there were 179 classrooms which were damaged in Ifugao, 139 in Kalinga, and 140 in Mountain Province.

According to the report, the estimated damage inflicted by the typhoon to the schools and classrooms in the region was pegged at P154.9 million but the amount needed to restore the schools and possible relocation of the ones declared beyond human occupancy might be higher.

The report claimed some schools are also being utilized as evacuation centers for the thousands of typhoon victims, which is adding to the burden of overcrowding being currently encountered by the pupils and students enrolled in the private schools region-wide.

The CRDCC utilized 25 public schools in the region as evacuation centers at the height of Pepeng but it was unfortunate the evacuees were the ones who allegedly destroyed the reading materials of pupils and students in some schools.