Caring, Learning, Adaptable and Sustainable School (Class) Building: A Mixed Use School Building

This study assessed the status of the school building in the Province of Sorsogon. Specifically, it seek answer to the following questions: 1. what is the status of school building along the identified variables (caring, learning, adaptable and sustainable) as: Learning, Evacuation and Quarantine facility? 2. What are the problems met along the identified variables (safety, adequacy, health protection, sustainability) as; Learning, Evacuation and Quarantine facility? 3. What school building design and policy intervention can be proposed based on the results of the study? Findings of the study provided baseline data needed for the assessment of the status of school building along the identified variables (caring, learning, adaptable and sustainable). There were forty (40) respondents in the Province of Sorsogon and three (3) architect’s expert in their own field that reviewed and evaluated the proposed school building plan of the study. The descriptive method was used, with the self-made questionnaire as the main research instrument. The data were presented, analyzed and interpreted with the use of statistical tools such as the frequency count, ranking, percentage distribution, weighted mean and average mean. The study revealed that the following findings that the status of school building in overall weighted mean in terms of caring with 3.28; learning, 3.14; adaptability 3.31; and sustainability 3.10, were all rated as equivalent to “good” as to learning facility. As to evacuation facility an overall weighted mean of 3.01 for caring; learning 2.78; adaptability 3.18; and sustainability 2.81, all with equivalent rating of “good”. As to quarantine facility, an overall weighted mean of 3.08 for caring; learning 3.06; adaptability 3.15 and sustainability 2.80, all with equivalent rating of “good”. It also revealed the problems met in school buildings  as learning facility in terms of safety is that there is no adequate emergency exit and fire safety equipment with a sum of rank of 88; adequacy is that the students are overcrowded using the toilet rooms (ratio of students per toilet fixtures such as water closet, lavatory and urinals not met) with a sum of rank of 97; health protection is that there is no ramp provided in every floor level with a sum of rank 97; and sustainability with a sum of rank of 105 is that it has no alternative supply of water (rain water collector). The problems met in school buildings  as evacuation facility in terms of safety is that there has no adequate emergency exits and fire safety equipment with a sum of rank of 119; adequacy is that evacuees are overcrowded in a toilet and bath rooms (ratio of evacuees per toilet fixtures such as water closet, lavatory, urinals and showers not met) with a sum of rank of 103; health protection is that it is not equipped with the minimum health standard requirements for an evacuation facility with a sum of rank 129; and sustainability with a sum of rank of 114 is that it has no alternative supply of electricity (solar panel source or standby generator). The problems met in school buildings  as quarantine facility in terms of safety is that there is no separate ingress and egress for health workers and quarantined persons with a sum of rank of 152; adequacy is that that quarantined persons were overcrowded in a toilet and bath rooms (ratio of quarantined persons per toilet fixtures such as water closet, lavatory, urinals and showers not met) with a sum of rank of 114; health protection is that it is not equip with the minimum health standard requirements for a quarantine facility with a sum of rank 118; and sustainability with a sum of rank of 138 is that it has no alternative supply of water (rain water collector). Based on the findings, the following conclusions are drawn: The status of school building along caring, learning, adaptable and sustainable as to learning, evacuation and quarantine facility is “good”. The problems met along the identified variables (safety, adequacy, health protection, sustainability) are: As Learning Facility: as to safety, there is no adequate emergency exit and fire safety equipment; as to adequacy, the students are overcrowded using the toilet rooms (ratio of students per toilet fixtures such as water closet, lavatory and urinals not met); as to health protection, there is no ramp provided in every floor level; and as to Sustainability, it has no alternative supply of water (rain water collector). As Evacuation Facility: as to safety, there has no adequate emergency exits and fire safety equipment; as to adequacy, that the evacuees are overcrowded in a toilet and bath rooms (ratio of evacuees per toilet fixtures such as water closet, lavatory, urinals and showers not met); as to health protection, it is not equip with the minimum health standard requirements for an evacuation facility; and as to Sustainability, some school building has no alternative supply of water (rain water collector).

As Quarantine Facility: as to safety, there is no separate ingress and egress for health workers and quarantined persons; as to adequacy, quarantined persons are overcrowded in a toilet and bath rooms (ratio of quarantined persons per toilet fixtures such as water closet, lavatory, urinals and showers not met); as to health protection, it is not equip with the minimum health standard requirements for a quarantine facility; and as to Sustainability, it has no alternative supply of water (rain water collector). The study recommended the followings: The Philippine government may construct one (1) CLASS building in each municipality  of DepEd campus in the Province of Sorsogon and the four campuses of the Sorsogon State University; the DepEd and SSU may conduct assessment and evaluation of existing multi- storey school buildings for possible rehabilitation/ improvement to fit for evacuation and quarantine facility use; this study may answer the call of the President and Vice President of the Philippines for a designed building fit for evacuation and quarantine facility; this study may be the answer to the call of the education community, evacuation and quarantine users for a safe, adequate, healthy and sustainable efficient school building; this research may be a pilot study that can be replicated in other province of the Philippines and to other countries; feedback may be sent to the researcher for possible modification of the design; and further studies may be made on the following concerns: a demountable class chairs that can be stack vertically to save spaces during storage, a demountable beds that can be stack or filed to save spaces during storage and to conduct inventory of school building that may be rehabilitated/ improved to fit for learning, evacuation and quarantine facility.