Zamboanga City - - Education Secretary Jesli Lapus has committed to augment the number of teacher items in Zamboanga City for school year 2009-2010, as he acknowledged the city government’s effort in improving quality of education through a massive school building program.

“We will prioritize Zamboanga City”, Sec. Lapus said when asked to respond to Mayor Celso Lobregat’s appeal for additional teacher items next year.

The Department of Education, according to the secretary targets to hire some 10, 000 teacher items nationwide in a bid to resolve the growing population in the elementary and secondary public schools.

He recognized the fact that the city government, under the leadership of Mayor Lobregat is a record breaker in school building construction program, making it the first in Mindanao.

Zamboanga City, he stressed is lucky to have Lobregat as its mayor, whose priority is to improve quality of education.

Lapus and Lobregat were together in the House of Representatives during the 11th Congress and pooled resources to pass education priority bills such as the creation of 7 national barangay high schools in Zamboanga and the elevation of the status of the Zamboanga Polytechnic College into a Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College.

Lobregat has personally appealed to Sec. Lapus to add the number of teacher items in Zamboanga City next year considering that the city government is also undertaking massive measures to help upgrade school facilities and address the classroom shortage.

“What good are the classrooms without the necessary teachers?” the mayor asked, even as he assured his continued prioritization of his school building program and other infrastructure projects for education.

“Education investments will help students earn self-sufficiency, find jobs, raise their families and become productive citizens”, the mayor stressed.

Lapus was in the city yesterday to keynote the inauguration of the restored Gabaldon building at the Zamboanga East Central School as well as visit other priority infrastructure projects at the Sta. Maria Elementary School and the Don Pablo Lorenzo Memorial High School. (Sheila Covarrubias)