Feature: Education more accessible to Capiceños
by Jemin B. Guillermo
Dr. Eveleth Gamboa, Schools Division Superintendent of Capiz said that with the various reforms and government support for the improvement of the educational system in the country, all children could avail of quality standard education.
Gamboa disclosed that the continuous improvement of their National Achievement Test (NAT) implies that the government is on the right track in implementing reforms in the education system.
She said that the improvement in the school system is being backed up by infrastructure support to schools, particularly the construction and rehabilitation of school buildings and classrooms as well as the provision of instructional materials here.
Gamboa also said that while they are consistently hiring teachers every year, more teachers in Capiz are also undergoing teachers training to become more effective and efficient.
Meanwhile, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus revealed that various reforms in the country’s educational system by the Arroyo administration paved the way for the improvement in the results of the National Aptitude Test (NAT) from 43 percent in 2003 to 65 percent.
Lapus said that education got the biggest allotment in the National Appropriations Act every year during the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
According to him, President Arroyo has placed education among her administration’s top priorities and pursued aggressively various reforms while providing them increasingly large funding.
Earlier, President Arroyo stressed that education is the ticket to a better life.
She said that “nothing is more sacred or more valuable to enhancing the dignity of every Filipino than a good education.”
“No issue is more important to us than education,” she said, stressing that through education, every Filipino man, woman and child will be given an opportunity to “lift themselves up.”
In her State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Arroyo pointed out that the government has so far provided means and measures for the Filipino people to realize their dreams through education, which she referred to as a “great equalizer.”
Part of this, she said, is the P1.5 billion fund for 100,000 teachers’ training in English teaching, removal of miscellaneous fees in school expenses, removal of the requirement to wear school uniforms, and scholarships extended to 600,000 College and Post-Graduates.
In addition, the President revealed that the Presidential Task Force on Education has already envisioned a “Philippine Main Education Highway” to better our education system. (PIA)
State of education tackled at Capiz summit
by Jemin B. Guillermo
Dubbed as the “Education Summit,” which was held here last Friday, July 24, the one-day activity was attended by Capiz Gov. Victor Tanco, 1st District Congressman Antonio del Rosario and 2nd District Congressman Fredenil Castro as well as top ranking officials from the Department of Education led by Division Superintendent Dr. Eveleth Gamboa.
Also in attendance were the mayors of the 16 towns of Capiz, including Roxas City, as well as the schools district supervisors.
According to Dr. Miguel Mac Aposin, Division Coordinator for Mathematics, the Education Summit aimed to present the status of education in Capiz and the various issues and concerns related to education.
Aposin said that the event was also a venue for the local government units to present their programs and projects on education.
He added that they are partnering with the LGUs to address the different education problems here such as insufficient number of teachers, low participation rate as well as achievement rate especially in high school.
Aposin said that the LGUs play a vital role in helping the DepEd provide the needed quality education for all children.
Recently, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stressed that education is the ticket to a better life.
The President said that “nothing is more sacred or more valuable to enhancing the dignity of every Filipino than a good education.”
“No issue is more important to us than education,” she said, stressing that through education, every Filipino man, woman and child will be given an opportunity to “lift themselves up.” (PIA
PGMA underscores importance of education
“Education is the ticket to a better life,” the President said before she received the Task Force for Education report on the state of education in the country.
In an interview with ABS-CBN’s weekend news program, two of the three children presented by President Arroyo during her 2001 SONA are now enjoying the promised education scholarship by the President.
After eight years, Erwin, Jason and Jomar all from Payatas who wrote the President asking for scholarship through the instrumental “bangkang papel” are grateful to the President for a fulfilled promise.
“Lubos po akong nagpapasalamat sa mahal na Presidente,dahil kung hindi po sa kanya, wala po ako sa katayuan ko ngayon, Erwin, now a 2nd year college student said in the vernacular.
Erwin also denied allegations that the scholarship and support from the government stopped saying that until today, he continues to enjoy the scholarship from the President.
While Jomar, 18 year old Information Technology student also thanked the President not only for the scholarship but also for the help extended to his parents.
President Arroyo disclosed that the topics to be discussed in her State of the Nation Address include: national security, the economy, social service, infrastructure and more.
“We take the SONA very seriously. Our people deserve to know what our government is doing, how the money is spent and what our priorities for the nation are,” the President added. (PIA/EAD)
DepEd 7 official appeals for more funds and teachers for alternative education
by Roberto M. Cabardo
Regional ALS Chief, Dr. Michael M. Cono, said in an interview this morning that he appreciated the move of the government to address the out-of-school youth who also have to be provided basic education so they will be more productive members of the Filipino society but he would appreciate it more if the present 72 mobile teachers in the region be increased to cater to close to 79 thousand out-of school youth who have availed of the ALS program here.
As of 2008, Central Visayas has 78, 617 registrants out of whom 42, 889 completers of the various programs under the Alternative Learning Systems that include Basic Literacy Program (BLP), Functional Literacy Program (FLP), and Livelihood Education Program (LEP) in the region.
Cono also disclosed that among the schools in this part of Visayas, Zapatera Elementary School and Tejero Elementary School in Cebu City and Dumaguete City Central School in Negros Oriental are among the top performers based on the greater number of completers who passed the accreditation and equivalency test that determines whether a completer is qualified to be considered an elementary graduate or third year high school student.
One of the reasons found by the official that could have led to better performance of the completers in the accreditation and equivalency test is the conduct of the 1-2 month review program in each district in the region.
“I really recommend that for them (completers) to have a better chance of passing the A & E Test, they must take review classes rather than be walk-in takers. It’s free,” he said.
When asked what causes the increase in the dropout rate that contributes the majority of the registrants, Cono bared that most attributable reason is economic deprivation which is closely related to low level of education.
He added that the problem is encompassing in the sense that problems like truancy and malnutrition come with economic deprivation which also leads to low earning capacity and productivity among the out-of-school youth.
The same official also calls on the non-government organizations to help public schools cater more to the informal student sector by providing whatever it is that the ALS program and the public schools in their immediate community lack that hinder a better chance of a sustained ALS program in the country.
“They must try to get involved in the Adopt-a-School Program of DepEd. With this I commend Mandaue City Schools for they are adopted by Jollibee,” said Cono.
ALS which is derived from the former Non-Formal Education (NFE) of DepEd is part of the agendum of Arroyo of providing Education for All, being a universal right of every Filipino regardless of creed, race, color, political affiliation, and socio-economic status. (PIA Cebu)
