The Brigada Eskwela is an annual program of the Department of Education (DepED Order 24., s.

2008, Appendix A). The preparation for its successful implementation should start as early as
January. YOU, as a school head, have to initiate the following:

1. Organization of Brigada Eskwela Committees and Orientation on Specific Roles

and Tasks
While your role as a school head is key to the Brigada Eskwela Program, the assistance and active
participation of your stakeholders ensures its success. Organizing the efforts of these
stakeholders is the first step that you must take. You can do this by establishing the following
various committees which will be responsible for the different concerns in implementing
Brigada Eskwela. After forming the committees, it is important to orient the members about
their roles and tasks.

A. Brigada Eskwela Steering Committee which shall spearhead the implementation of

the Brigada Eskwela Program and shall oversee the various efforts to be undertaken for
the program such as marketing and advocacy, resource mobilization, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation. It is usually composed of the following:

Overall Chairman : School Head / Principal

Co-Chair : PTCA President or Representative

Members : School Physical Facilities Coordinator

Barangay Chairman/Representative

School Governing Council

Private Sector Representative

Selected Teachers/Students

Others

B. Brigada Eskwela Working Committees

You may designate the members of the Brigada Eskwela Steering Committee to
chair the other working committees. Refer to Figure 1 for an understanding of the
relationships of the Brigada Eskwela steering committee and the other working
committees.

B.1 Advocacy and Marketing Committee

Objective: To promote public awareness and encourage involvement in Brigada Eskwela by:

a. utilizing the developed advocacy and marketing materials from the ASP National
Secretariat to create the mode of campaign. You may reproduce or redevelop
advocacy materials.
 b. conducting extensive awareness campaign and other marketing activities which may
include interviews/advertisement with local radio, television and newspapers,
posting of campaign banners, showing Brigada Eskwela music video, distribution of
other campaign materials and roadshows, such as Brigada caravan.

B.2 Resource Mobilization Committee

Objective: To generate resources, both materials and manpower or volunteer services,
for the conduct of Brigada Eskwela thru:

• determine target resources and volunteers

• meeting potential partners, volunteers, community leaders/officials and members
to engage support from the community and local business enterprises
• ensuring that the pledges/commitments of partners are delivered
• accepting donations from partners

B.3 Program Implementation Committee

Objective: To direct and monitor the implementation of different activities as specified in
the school work plan:

• providing guidance and directions to work teams in the performance of assigned

tasks
• ensuring program of work are accomplished as planned
• monitoring of actual accomplishments vis-à-vis identified needs and planned
activities

B.4 Administrative and Finance Committee

Objective: To provide administrative support and manage funds that will be generated in
support of Brigada Eskwela

• ensuring that all financial assistance from both government and private sources are
used in accordance with applicable rules and regulations
• providing logistical support to volunteers such as but not limited to, work materials,
first aid kits, refreshments, etc.
• accounting the usage of all materials thru the conduct of daily inventory
• preparing documents required for tax incentives availment by partners such as, but
not limited to:
a. memorandum of agreement
b. deed of donation and/or deed of acceptance

B.5 Documentation Committee

Objective: To prepare the necessary documentation and reports using the prescribed
forms

• taking photos and/or video footages of activities, especially the improvements done
on the schools (before, during, and after photos)
• keeping and maintaining records and pertinent papers & documents
 a. daily report on donations received
b. daily attendance of volunteers
• summarizing and consolidating the different BE forms as basis for drafting the Brigada Eskwela school
accomplishment report

2. Assessment of Physical Facilities and Maintenance Needs of Your School

As early as January, conduct an assessment of school facilities needing repair. You should
designate your School Physical Facilities Coordinator and any of the PTCA member to help you in
doing this. Have them assist you in determining the repair and maintenance needs of your school.
Accomplish BE Form 01: Physical Facilities Repair and Maintenance Needs

Assessment Form (Appendix B) as you do ocular inspection of your school.

From the inventory of needs prepared, identify your school’s activities in relation to Brigada
Eskwela with the help of the other members of the School Brigada Eskwela Steering Committee.
Use BE Form 02: School BE Work Plan (Appendix C). A copy of these completed BE Forms
should be submitted to the Adopt-A-School Program division coordinator on or before February
14.

If you have been implementing the program in the previous years, you may review the evaluation
results of the last Brigada Eskwela and focus on lessons learned, success stories and
recommendations to be undertaken to guide you in preparing the work plan.

3. Advocacy and Social Marketing

To increase public awareness on and involvement in Brigada Eskwela, you may undertake the
following information drive activities:

• Attend district/division initiated orientation on Brigada Eskwela

• Secure pertinent advocacy and marketing materials from the
Central/region/division office for information drive activities

• Convene target members of the School Brigada Eskwela Committee for awareness of roles
and functions relative to the conduct of Brigada Eskwela
• Organize, through the Advocacy and Marketing Committee, various advocacy and
campaign meetings to discuss with potential partners the benefits of the BE program and
encourage them to be part of the effort.
• Tap local media (radio, television, and newspapers) in disseminating information about
the program.
• Get yourself invited to make presentations on the BE program in different
assemblies/meetings of various organizations or groups such as the local school board
 meeting, LGU/barangay council meeting, and socio-civic organizations regular meeting
(e.g., Rotary Club, Lions Club, etc).
• You can also encourage more partners to help in Brigada Eskwela by letting them know
about the Adopt-A-School Law or Republic Act 8525 (Appendix N) which allows the private
sector to avail of tax incentives of up to 150% for the assistance that they will give to public
schools. You can ask your Adopt-A-School Program division coordinator to help you.

4. Resource Mobilization
Through the Resource Mobilization Committee, determine the resources needed, partners to be
tapped, and volunteers to participate in the Brigada Eskwela. Use BE Form 03: Resource
Mobilization Form (Appendix D). To guide you in doing these, here are some specific tasks to
consider:

a) With the accomplished BE Form 01(Physical Facilities Repair and Maintenance Needs
Assessment Form) and the school’s BE Work Plan as bases, firm-up the kind of services
and materials to be sourced for the conduct of Brigada Eskwela.

b) Identify possible potential partners who can help. Here is a short list of possible partners:
• Parents
• Alumni Associations
• Civic and social organizations such as the Rotary, Lion’s, Zonta, Kiwanis, Guardians
• LGUs
• Religious groups
• Business establishments
• Private individuals
• Skilled workers
• OFW’s/Balikbayans
• Professional Groups/Associations (lawyers, doctors, accountants, engineers, etc.)

c) To stimulate interest and get commitment to contribute to Brigada Eskwela, send letters
of invitations to participate in the Brigada
Eskwela (see Appendix J for Sample Letter of Invitation and Statement of Interest Form)
to identified potential partners and other stakeholders. Request them to attend
advocacy and campaign meetings that you have organized.
 5. Firming-up of Activities for the Actual Brigada Eskwela Week After all the
marketing, advocacy and resource mobilization efforts prior to the Brigada Eskwela
Week, the last pre-implementation activity is to prepare for the actual event. Meet
with the working committees to assess the readiness of your school for the actual
BE week and finalize activities to be undertaken. Here are some of the things that
should be
done:

a) Match expected volunteers, materials, and resources against the identified needs of the
school and address gaps, if any.
b) Prepare the opening and closing programs and other related activities during the week
c) Organize working teams according to nature of services to be done: masonry, carpentry,
plumbing, electrical/electronics, gardening, painting, etc., and appoint team leaders
d) Make sure that donations are in-kind and that all cash donations are converted into
materials before acknowledging receipt of such assistance. It is the policy of DepEd and
the Adopt-A-School program to refrain from accepting cash donations. In.

With these things in place, you can now look forward to a productive and
successful implementation of Brigada Eskwela in your school.

II. IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

The actual implementation stage is during the Brigada Eskwela Week also referred to as the “ National
School Maintenance Week”. This is usually conducted on the third week of May before the opening of
classes. This is the time when all marketing, advocacy and resource mobilization efforts during the pre-
implementation stage will bear fruit. This is also the time when plans are executed by the school with
the support of volunteer stakeholders and partners. In some cases, schools may opt to start a week
earlier to be able to finish longerterm projects.

Since the school takes center-stage during Brigada Eskwela Week, you, as a school head become the
master of the show. These are the following activities that you will undertake during the week:

DAY ONE TO DAY FIVE

1. Simple Opening Program/ Kick – Off Ceremony

To formally open the Brigada Eskwela Week, you may conduct a simple opening program to set the
mood and stimulate the enthusiasm among the volunteers. While this program need not be
extravagant, it would be useful to make it inspiring. This will also provide you the opportunity to
acknowledge the volunteers and stakeholders who are supporting the program. A sample program
is attached for your reference in Appendix K.
 The presence of prominent stakeholders in the community, i.e., LGU and barangay officials, DepED
district/division officials, PTCA and School Governing Council members during the opening program
can help boost the morale of the volunteers, so make sure you invite these people during the first
day of Brigada Eskwela. Have them give encouragement and recognition to everyone.

During the opening program, a presentation on the mechanics of Brigada Eskwela program and
overview of planned activities would be interesting to highlight. This could include, but not limited
to:
- school work plan on Brigada Eskwela
- major projects/activities to be done
- donations and commitments received during pre-implementation phase
- support or assistance needed to accomplish targets

2. Organization and Briefing of Working Teams

After the opening program, proceed to the organization of working teams. You can ask your
volunteers/partners to find out and choose where they can be of help as shown in Figure 2. As soon
as they are grouped, appoint team leaders and conduct a briefing on the program of activities
according to the school work plan. Working teams maybe organized according to nature of tasks to
be done: Masonry, Carpentry, Painting, Plumbing, Electrical,

Landscaping/Gardening, Ordinary Labor (cleaning, etc.)

3. Actual Implementation of Work Plan

The actual implementation of the workplan starts on the first day and continues until the sixth day
of the Brigada Eskwela Week. Throughout this period, you should see to it that:

• all working committees perform their specific roles and responsibilities

• all volunteers/work teams deliver their committed services to ensure that all
targeted repair and maintenance are done
• all activities for the day are accomplished and properly documented in print
or through multi-media.

Start each day with the list of tasks to be done and communicate these to the different work
teams. Ensure the availability of necessary work materials for them to do their expected tasks.

An inventory of all materials should be conducted regularly. Therefore, you should see to it that all
unused materials are surrendered by the volunteers at the end of each day.

At the end of each day, acknowledge publicly all work done for the day by partners to give them
the feeling that their efforts were appreciated. Encourage them to come back and help the next
day.
 TIPS to inspire volunteers:
• New volunteers may come to the school each day to help. Make sure that
these volunteers feel welcome and are guided on how they can contribute
most productively.

• Always be visible to supervise the work done by the volunteers till the day
ends. Remember that your presence during the weeklong activity will
inspire the partners/volunteers/stakeholders and will sustain their interest
and enthusiasm to participate, serve and donate their skills and resources
for this worthy endeavor.

• The complete attendance and participation of teachers shall likewise

convey a strong message to the volunteers of how serious you and
the whole DepEd family in this undertaking.

• If resources permit, provide food and drinks for volunteers with the
help of parents, other stakeholders, or the barangay council.

4. Recording of Daily Accomplishments

Documentation is an integral part of Brigada Eskwela to be done by the Documentation Committee.
This will provide information in monitoring the school’s progress in accomplishing the BE work plan.
These data will also be the basis for the drafting and finalization of school’s accomplishment reports
to be submitted to the district and division offices at the end of the Brigada Eskwela.

What should be particularly documented/recorded for each day are:

- all volunteers, including the nature and duration of their services/participation (BE
Form 04)
- all resources received (BE Form 05)
- all works/tasks done (BE Form 06)
For this purpose, make sure that the required BE Forms are accomplished. Photo or video
documentations should also be done.
5. Debriefing of Working Committees
At the end of each day of the Brigada Eskwela Week, you should conduct a debriefing session
among the members of the different working committees to find out:
- What went well during the day?
- What were the problems/issues encountered?
- What specific tasks and responsibilities were done/not done? - What needs to
be done the next day?

DAY SIX

6. Final Inspection
At the last day of the Brigada Eskwela Week, request the different working committees to conduct a
final inspection of the different work and activities undertaken during the week and to
consolidate/finalize the different reports.

In the event that there are certain tasks in the work plan that is not completed, you can still seek
the help of the volunteers even after the Brigada Eskwela Week.

7. Culminating/Closing Program
You and your stakeholders should celebrate to conclude the Brigada Eskwela Week. You can do this
by holding a short and simple culminating/closing program. In the spirit of transparency, a summary
of resources generated, work accomplished, lessons learned, and next steps should be presented to
all partners/stakeholders who will attend the program. This will be a rewarding moment for all who
helped in the effort. See Appendix L for sample format of Culminating/Closing Program.

Again, ensure the presence of prominent stakeholders in the community, i.e., LGU and barangay
officials, DepED district/division officials, PTCA and School Governing Council members.

You may find the following activities relevant:

a) Presentation of Accomplishments
- report on resources generated and its utilization
- total number of volunteers and number of hours/days rendered
- report of accomplishments viz-a-viz workplan
- evaluation of completed activities
- recommendations for future Brigada Eskwela
- future plans and tasks/projects to be done
 b) Awarding of Certificate of Recognition to Partners/Donors
Allow selected partners/volunteers to share experiences/testimonies.

c) Symbolic Turn-Over and Acceptance of Outputs and Donations from

Stakeholders/Partners/Donors (e.g. ornamental plant for those who did gardening, hammer
for carpentry, paint brush for painting, etc.)

d) Forging of Pledges of Commitment

• Pledge of Commitment by Partners
Ask partners to pledge continuing support for future projects through Brigada
Eskwela and this maybe written as a Pledge of Commitment to be recited at
the last part of the closing ceremony.
• Pledge of Commitment by the School
As a way of expressing appreciation to partners for their help is to tell to them
that you and entire school community: teachers, pupils/students, and parents,
will exert all efforts to take care and keep in good condition all the works done
during the Brigada Eskwela Week.

While the closing program marks the conclusion of the week-long Brigada Eskwela,
it also signifies that your school is now ready for the opening of classes.

III. POST-IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

Your school’s success in the implementation of Brigada Eskwela should not be left unnoticed.
The week that passed speaks of collaborative efforts, meaningful relationships, and notable
accomplishments. It also sends a strong message of how much the community puts value in
education. Hence, it is only proper that these be documented and reported.

Post Brigada Eskwela is the period after the last day of the conduct of the week-long Brigada
Eskwela activities. It is during this period that you put together all the data reflected in the
different forms completed and submitted to you by the different working committees,
particularly by the Documentation Committee, to form part of your school’s accomplishment
report.

1. Preparation of the Final Accomplishment Report

Convene the members of the BE Steering Committee and all Working

Committees immediately after the Brigada Eskwela week. Let the Documentation
Committee members, with the help of the other committee members,
summarize/consolidate all the completed reports/forms and submit these to you.

Using BE Form 07: School Accomplishment Report, prepare your school’s Brigada
Eskwela Accomplishment Report. Provide complete details on the following:

a. School Basic Data

b. Scope of Repair and Maintenance Work Completed
c. Donations/Resources Received
d. Volunteer Services: Quantity and Estimated Value
e. Significant Events/Experiences
f. Recommendations
In putting value to the services of volunteers, refer to the Guide to Computing Cost of
Services Rendered (Appendix H).

Make sure to attach/include photo documentation of the conduct of the Brigada Eskwela in
your school to this form. For purposes of reporting, only activities that were completed
during the Brigada Eskwela week should be included in the BE Form 07.

Other projects and activities completed with the help of stakeholders and private partners
outside the Brigada Eskwela week should be reported to the division and central offices in
separate reports.

2. Submission of the Final Accomplishment Report

 You should submit the completed BE Form 07 to your District Supervisor on or before June
15. For your information, the final report will go through the following channels as shown in
Figure 3.

• The District Supervisor consolidates/summarizes the accomplishment reports submitted

by the different schools, then submits it to the Division Office on June 30.
• The Assistant Schools Division Superintendent designated or the Brigada Eskwela
Coordinator of the division consolidates or summarizes the accomplishment reports
submitted by the District Supervisors (elementary) and secondary school heads then
submit it to the Regional Office thru the regional Brigada Eskwela coordinator on July 31.
• The regional consolidated accomplishment reports should be submitted to the ASP
Secretariat (Central Office) on or before August 31.
3. Sustaining Brigada Eskwela
Remember that school improvement does not end on the last day of the Brigada Eskwela
week. It is a year-round undertaking to guarantee the school children of an environment
conducive to learning. As a means of sustaining the Brigada Eskwela efforts, you should
communicate to and engage all teachers, pupils, and parents to fulfill their corresponding
roles and do their share in the upkeep of the school, particularly those that were
contributed by partners and volunteers during the Brigada Eskwela Week.

Moreover, you can send letters of thanks to partners and volunteers for their contributions
in prepping-up your school in time for the opening of classes. A sample of letter of thanks to
benefactors can be found in Appendix M.

The partnerships forged and alliance formed should likewise be sustained. There might be
certain uncompleted tasks in the BE work plan or other school needs that may come up
during the school year with which you will need the help of stakeholders. The spirit of
cooperation and genuine commitment and concern among stakeholder for public schools
sparked by the BE program can help address such needs.

As a school head, you can make the Brigada Eskwela program not just a tool for
improving your school’s facilities bu t also as a catalyst for achieving the higher
learning outcome that you want for your school.