Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Though the return to classes will be virtual this year due to the health contingency of COVID-19, the city of Puerto Vallarta will begin delivering backpacks filled with school supplies, along with uniforms and shoes, for the more than 52,000 kindergarten, primary and secondary school students enrolled at the municipality’s 250 public schools today.
According to Mayor Arturo Dávalos Peña, this program, which aims to provide economic support to Puerto Vallarta families, has been implemented consecutively for five years, but this will be the first time that the school supplies will be delivered before the school year actually begins.
The idea is that students will already have their school supplies, uniforms and shoes when in person classes are resumed, but above all, to spare parents from this expense so that the money can be applied to other needs.
Dávalos Peña explained that they will be delivering the supplies to different educational institutions throughout the week, and the name of the schools that they’ll be visiting each day will be announced in advance, so that parents can come to collect them in an organized way that follows all government health protocols and preventive measures, such as the wearing of masks and social distancing.
The mayor pointed out that the new normal has forced us to change the way we live and that there are great challenges ahead as we face the changes that are still to come, adding that preparing new generations for the future is fundamental to achieving el puerto que todos queremos (the city that we all want).
“It is clear to us that working together for education is the best instrument we have to continue advancing,” Mayor Dávalos stressed. “These school supplies aim to support our children so that they have the necessary tools to continue studying, in addition to the protection offered to them with free school insurance, in the event of an accident during the journey from home to school, during their stay on campus and back home [when the time comes].”
Ensuring that the children of Puerto Vallarta have everything they need to receive a quality education is just one of the ways that the municipal government is working to make sure that every family has the basics for living.
During this COVID-19 pandemic, the municipality promptly heeded the recommendations of the state and federal governments, working to take care of health & safety, and to achieve a responsible and staggered economic reactivation to keep Puerto Vallarta moving forward.
Additionally, the city delivered 60,000 food pantries, more than 200,000 jugs of water and 45,000 kilos of tortillas to those in need, and promoted the reactivation of hotels and shops, complying with prevention and health regulations.
Source: puertovallarta.gob.mx