SM scholars from Roxas City volunteer to clean the new school building ahead of its turnover.

In time for the school year opening, SM Prime through SM Foundation turned over a fully furnished two-storey building to the President Manuel Roxas Memorial Integrated School-South in Roxas City, Western Visayas.

The 104th school building made through the collaboration is built in accordance with specifications set by the Department of Education (DepEd). It holds four classrooms, each furnished with desks, chairs for left-handed students, toilets per classroom, including a special toilet for PWDs on the ground floor.

It also includes concave blackboards, electric fans, and LED lighting. Emergency lights were installed in the stairways for emergency-preparedness.

Supporting DepEd’s commitment to ensure that learners have access to water for hygiene and sanitation, SM Foundation installed a handwashing facility along with liquid soap for the community’s use.

To further assist, the SM group will help with the maintenance and upkeep of the said school.

SMFI School Building head, Juris Soliman (center) leads the preparation if the school building turnover. 

It was earlier announced by DepEd that roughly 21 million students enrolled this school year 2023-2024. Amidst this, the agency reported that only over 100,000 out of the more than 300,000 school buildings are in good condition.

Believing in the power of education in uplifting communities, SM Foundation has been an active member of DepEd’s Adopt-a-School Program since 2002, turning over more than 100 school buildings to grassroots communities nationwide. The said program intends to address overcrowding in schools and provide an environment conducive for learning.