PWDs to build armchairs for schools
Armchair for schools
An additional of 115,384 units of armchairs will be manufactured by the National Federation of Cooperatives of Persons with Disability (NFCPWD) for selected public secondary schools in the country.
According to the Department of Education, the NFCPWD is a federation of twelve primary cooperatives in the country -- 7 in Luzon, 2 in Visayas, and 3 in Mindanao. These cooperatives were established to produce school chairs and desks.
The DepEd press report disclosed that beginning in 1998, the General Appropriations Act has allocated ten percent of the total budget for the procurement of desks and armchairs sourced from differently-able persons Now at P900 M, P90 M is contracted to NFCPWD.
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said that "the move is part of DepEd to give the differently able sector of our society a chance to show their capability for supplying our requirement for quality school furniture."
The National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons of the Department o of Social Welfare and Development has certified that NFCPWD is the only umbrella organization of cooperatives of differently-able persons operating in the country. It is also the only secondary-level cooperative of differently-able persons engaged in the manufacture of quality school desks and chairs.
TheDepEd Secretary said that tapping the services of the NFCPWD will also provide decent livelihood for our differently-able workers, the DepEd Secretary said. (PIA/T.Villavert)