By: Bernadette E. Tamayo - Journal Online
SENATOR Edgardo Angara wants the Department of Education to clarify the content of the lectures and presentations that will be aired simultaneously in different public schools nationwide under the P26.5 billion Cyber-Education program.
He earlier raised concerns over the method in delivering basic education services to elementary and high school students under the proposed Cyber-Ed Project.
“I am not against educational technology but we must scrutinize this very closely because no studies have yet been made regarding the effectiveness of TV-based instruction in basic education,” Angara stressed.
He earlier called for a Senate inquiry into the Cyber-Education Project, citing the “indecent haste” of its implementation and the serious doubts about its relevance and cost-effectiveness.
Under this project, a total of 37,794 schools or 90 percent of all public schools nationwide will be connected in the next three years. These schools will receive live broadcasts featuring lectures and presentations from master teachers as well as coursewares on demand and other valuable resource materials.
He also questioned the benefits of TV-based education to children ages six to ten. “That age group needs teacher contact because if the students have questions or reservations, the teachers can answer them, and this can only be done if they are present inside the classroom,” Angara said.
He said that students of this age group may also find it hard to comprehend the lessons and lectures by just watching TV. He said that distance education is only suitable for above literate students since they can already understand the instructions quickly.
“My other concern is the cost-effectiveness of this program, it is hard to find teachers who can sufficiently explain in simple terms the concepts found in subjects like social science, home economics, Philippine history etc.,” he said.
“There are a lot of questions that need to be addressed by the DepEd before we can introduce this project. We have to pilot test it first, if the results are favorable, then we can expand it,” he said.
Angara added: “Finally, there’s this question of priority, we must first address the current classroom shortage, recruit more bright teachers, train and re-train teachers, and acquire desks and textbooks.”
However, he did not rule out the possibility of implementing Cyber Education in the future, saying that once they have decided the content and the delivery, and if studies show that the children can learn through distance education, this project might be one of the solutions to the country’s educational crisis.
Showing posts with label DepEd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DepEd. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Saturday, December 29, 2007
DepEd recognizes outstanding SPED teachers, centers
The national winners for the Visually Impaired Category are Arlene Ranile from Mandaue City Central School SPED Center, Edgar Sagun from Candelaria CS SPED Center in Zambales
DepEd recognizes outstanding SPED teachers, centers
In celebration of 100 years of Special Education (SPED) in the country, the Department of Education (DepEd) recognized the outstanding SPED teachers who have made the department's SPED programs successful.
Held at Great Eastern Hotel in Quezon City, the awarding ceremony was part of a three day conference on SPED themed: "Celebrating 100 Years of Special Education." The conference sought to review the policies, current approaches, and strategies in Special Education. Best practices were also highlighted in line with SPED's centennial celebration.
"In our efforts to provide education for all, DepEd has been implementing various educational programs for those with special needs," DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus said.
The national winners for the Visually Impaired Category are Arlene Ranile from Mandaue City Central School SPED Center, Edgar Sagun from Candelaria CS SPED Center in Zambales, and Thelma Guarino from Bagong Silang SPED Center in Caloocan City.
For the Hearing Impaired Category, Brenda Ebreo of La Union SPED Center, San Fernando City won the first place, followed by Phoebe Santiago of Legazpi City Division SPED Center and Estrella Bautista of San Fernando ES for the third place.
Meanwhile, Estrela Sartiga of Lipata CS SPED Center, Marife De Guzman from La Union SPED Center, and Maurina Jerusalem from Midsayap Pilot ES SPED Center in Cotabato ruled the Children with Autism Category.
On the other hand, Edvin Cabrera from Integrated School for Exceptional Children in Iloilo City bagged the first place in the Children with Mental Retardation Category. Virginia Amanon of Midsayap Pilot CS in Cotabato and Rosario Santos of Sta. Ana ES SPED Center in Manila were in second and third place, respectively.
Lastly, for the Gifted and Talented Children, Nora Amowas of Baguio City SPED Center won the first place, followed by Efremelia Caronan of Tuguegarao East CS in Tuguegarao City and Ma. Fe Teresa Penaflor of Dinalupihan ES in Bataan who won second and third places, respectively.
The best SPED Centers were also acknowledged. The national winners are La Union SPED Center in San Fernando City for the first place, Zapatera ES SPED Center in Cebu City for the second place, and Paaralang Pag-ibig at Pag-asa from San Pablo City for the third place.
The department's programs and projects on SPED are inspired by the 1994 Salamanca Statement on Principles, Policy and Practice in Special Education by UNESCO member-countries which states that "the fundamental principle of inclusive schools is that all children should learn together, wherever possible, regardless of any difficulties or difference they may have."
The Special Education Division, which is under the Bureau of Elementary Education, prepares instructional materials specifically designed for children with special needs. It also establishes linkages with agencies concerned with the education and welfare of these children
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Student leaders, educators want youth council scraped
By Rommel C. Lontayao, Manila Times Reporter
Student leaders, educators want youth council scraped
First of two parts
Student leaders from various schools nationwide and supervisors from the Department of Education (DepEd) have recently called for the abolition of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK).
The no longer meets its purpose and that the re-allocation of its funds will help augment the budget of the public school system, they said.
In a proposal drafted during a national leadership training attended by some 6,000 students and educators from all over the country, representatives from the Federation of Supreme Student Governments and regional education supervisors in Social Studies urged Congress to pass a law abolishing the SK.
SK inefficient
In a statement, student and teacher groups said, “The SK, whose primary objective is to enhance the social, political, economic, cultural, intellectual, moral, spiritual and physical development of the youth of the country, has lost the bases of its existence with its miserable performance or nonperformance.”
They added that programs and projects being implemented by the SK, consisting mostly of construction of waiting sheds and signposts bearing the names of SK officials, are too insignificant and irrelevant.
These programs and projects are wasting precious resources that could have funded more important and urgent concerns such as public education, they said.
Give funds to education
The proponents calling for the abolition of the SK drafted a manifesto, which says “funds intended for the SK, if and when re-allocated for public education, will certainly help solve its problems.”
The public education system “needs all the resources to address prevailing gaps in education-related resources such as quality books, fully-equipped classrooms and competent teachers,” according to the manifesto.
DepEd has estimated that, by the end of school year 2008, there would be a shortage of 1,390 classrooms, 524,237 school seats, 2,733 teachers and 44.2 million textbooks.
This would not be resolved if the government continue to allocate insufficient funds for public education, according to DepEd sources.
The education department estimated that some P4.3 billion is still needed to cover the shortage. DepEd has an allocated budget of P137 billion this year.
According to IBON Foundation, the government now spends more for debt service of interest payments alone per Filipino than it does for education.
In the proposed 2008 budget, the Philippine government allocated P3,269.48 per capita for interest payments, while it allocated only P2,010.39 per capita for education.
The research group also said government support for the public educational system has been declining in the past years and this is manifested by the severe shortages besetting the sector.
The 2006 budget of the DepEd has fallen by almost 6 percent from budget allocations five years ago. This means that, based on school year 2005-2006 enrollment figures, each public school student is allocated a share of only P5,082 of the DepEd budget, down 11 percent from P5,726 in 2001.
Declining allocations for education are reflected in the severe shortages of teachers and teaching materials that have crippled the public education system, which, according to the law, should receive the highest share of the national government budget.
Several weeks ago, the Commission on Elections said it had already received P664 million as initial fund for the conduct of the synchronized barangay and SK polls.
“Since 1992, billions of pesos coming from scarce government resources have been spent to cover for the elections of SKs in practically all barangays in the Philippines, whether urban or rural,” Antonio Morales, a columnist of an online local media organization, said.
“SK officials receive remuneration for attending SK sessions from barangay funds. SK receives a 10-percent apportionment from the barangay budget. With that, they spend their share for their pet projects that are not necessary, not beneficial to the youth, and simply a drain to the coffers of the government,” Morales in an article posted in samarnews.com.
In previous reports, President Gloria Arroyo was quoted as saying that the 10-percent share of the SK could be used by the barangay council for building farm-to-market road instead
First of two parts
Student leaders from various schools nationwide and supervisors from the Department of Education (DepEd) have recently called for the abolition of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK).
The no longer meets its purpose and that the re-allocation of its funds will help augment the budget of the public school system, they said.
In a proposal drafted during a national leadership training attended by some 6,000 students and educators from all over the country, representatives from the Federation of Supreme Student Governments and regional education supervisors in Social Studies urged Congress to pass a law abolishing the SK.
SK inefficient
In a statement, student and teacher groups said, “The SK, whose primary objective is to enhance the social, political, economic, cultural, intellectual, moral, spiritual and physical development of the youth of the country, has lost the bases of its existence with its miserable performance or nonperformance.”
They added that programs and projects being implemented by the SK, consisting mostly of construction of waiting sheds and signposts bearing the names of SK officials, are too insignificant and irrelevant.
These programs and projects are wasting precious resources that could have funded more important and urgent concerns such as public education, they said.
Give funds to education
The proponents calling for the abolition of the SK drafted a manifesto, which says “funds intended for the SK, if and when re-allocated for public education, will certainly help solve its problems.”
The public education system “needs all the resources to address prevailing gaps in education-related resources such as quality books, fully-equipped classrooms and competent teachers,” according to the manifesto.
DepEd has estimated that, by the end of school year 2008, there would be a shortage of 1,390 classrooms, 524,237 school seats, 2,733 teachers and 44.2 million textbooks.
This would not be resolved if the government continue to allocate insufficient funds for public education, according to DepEd sources.
The education department estimated that some P4.3 billion is still needed to cover the shortage. DepEd has an allocated budget of P137 billion this year.
According to IBON Foundation, the government now spends more for debt service of interest payments alone per Filipino than it does for education.
In the proposed 2008 budget, the Philippine government allocated P3,269.48 per capita for interest payments, while it allocated only P2,010.39 per capita for education.
The research group also said government support for the public educational system has been declining in the past years and this is manifested by the severe shortages besetting the sector.
The 2006 budget of the DepEd has fallen by almost 6 percent from budget allocations five years ago. This means that, based on school year 2005-2006 enrollment figures, each public school student is allocated a share of only P5,082 of the DepEd budget, down 11 percent from P5,726 in 2001.
Declining allocations for education are reflected in the severe shortages of teachers and teaching materials that have crippled the public education system, which, according to the law, should receive the highest share of the national government budget.
Several weeks ago, the Commission on Elections said it had already received P664 million as initial fund for the conduct of the synchronized barangay and SK polls.
“Since 1992, billions of pesos coming from scarce government resources have been spent to cover for the elections of SKs in practically all barangays in the Philippines, whether urban or rural,” Antonio Morales, a columnist of an online local media organization, said.
“SK officials receive remuneration for attending SK sessions from barangay funds. SK receives a 10-percent apportionment from the barangay budget. With that, they spend their share for their pet projects that are not necessary, not beneficial to the youth, and simply a drain to the coffers of the government,” Morales in an article posted in samarnews.com.
In previous reports, President Gloria Arroyo was quoted as saying that the 10-percent share of the SK could be used by the barangay council for building farm-to-market road instead
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
TESDA sees problems in basic education
By Alexander Villafania - INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines -- “The Department of Education (DepEd) should fix its own house first.”
This was the advice of Technical Education and Skills Development (TESDA) Director General Augusto Syjuco to the DepEd over the low skill capabilities of elementary and high school graduates.
Syjuco said many students do not have the basic capabilities to even make it to some technical and vocational courses, even those requiring low-level skills.
Some of the courses developed by TESDA had to be tweaked to provide the most basic knowledge and accommodate students.
In fact, Syjuco said the problem could worsen in coming years.
“Let them [DepEd] fix up basic education so that the graduates learn the most necessary skills to pursue specific fields of industry,” Syjuco said.
Syjuco was also critical of the DepEd’s newly implemented National Career Assessment Exam (NCAE), saying the department should not measure students’ technical and vocational capabilities but rather provide the basic education that will be the foundation of higher levels of skills development.
Introduced in 2006 to replace the National College Entrance Examination, the NCAE assesses senior high school students’ technical and vocational aptitude and entrepreneurial skills, therefore providing an overview as to what particular direction a student could take after high school.
The NCAE has been repeatedly criticized by educational organizations but Education Secretary Jesli Lapus has strongly supported, saying it would address the employment mismatch and ensure students know what course to take in college based on their aptitude.
However, Syjuco claims that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and TESDA are the agencies responsible for ensuring industry-specific skills development for students.
“The three education agencies are mandated with specific jobs and the responsibility of CHED and TESDA is to land jobs for graduates.”
Syjuco claims TESDA has been spending millions to improve their technical and vocational infrastructure due to the growing number of young adults who want to immediately pursue jobs and not go through the traditional two-year or four-year college course.
TESDA and CHED have recently renewed their commitment to improve their ladderized program to allow students from technical-vocational schools to continue into tertiary education, and vice versa.
Syjuco said they expect at least an additional $500 million budget for 2008, on top of their existing $500 million for this year. Most of the expected $1-billion budget for 2008 would go to scholarships and improving remaining technical and vocational courses.
MANILA, Philippines -- “The Department of Education (DepEd) should fix its own house first.”
This was the advice of Technical Education and Skills Development (TESDA) Director General Augusto Syjuco to the DepEd over the low skill capabilities of elementary and high school graduates.
Syjuco said many students do not have the basic capabilities to even make it to some technical and vocational courses, even those requiring low-level skills.
Some of the courses developed by TESDA had to be tweaked to provide the most basic knowledge and accommodate students.
In fact, Syjuco said the problem could worsen in coming years.
“Let them [DepEd] fix up basic education so that the graduates learn the most necessary skills to pursue specific fields of industry,” Syjuco said.
Syjuco was also critical of the DepEd’s newly implemented National Career Assessment Exam (NCAE), saying the department should not measure students’ technical and vocational capabilities but rather provide the basic education that will be the foundation of higher levels of skills development.
Introduced in 2006 to replace the National College Entrance Examination, the NCAE assesses senior high school students’ technical and vocational aptitude and entrepreneurial skills, therefore providing an overview as to what particular direction a student could take after high school.
The NCAE has been repeatedly criticized by educational organizations but Education Secretary Jesli Lapus has strongly supported, saying it would address the employment mismatch and ensure students know what course to take in college based on their aptitude.
However, Syjuco claims that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and TESDA are the agencies responsible for ensuring industry-specific skills development for students.
“The three education agencies are mandated with specific jobs and the responsibility of CHED and TESDA is to land jobs for graduates.”
Syjuco claims TESDA has been spending millions to improve their technical and vocational infrastructure due to the growing number of young adults who want to immediately pursue jobs and not go through the traditional two-year or four-year college course.
TESDA and CHED have recently renewed their commitment to improve their ladderized program to allow students from technical-vocational schools to continue into tertiary education, and vice versa.
Syjuco said they expect at least an additional $500 million budget for 2008, on top of their existing $500 million for this year. Most of the expected $1-billion budget for 2008 would go to scholarships and improving remaining technical and vocational courses.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Lapus wants mandatory aptitude test for students
By Beverly T. Natividad - Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines -- In a bid to reduce what some call a mismatch between available jobs and the products of the country’s education system, the Department of Education now wants to make mandatory the taking of the National Career Assessment Exam (NCAE) by Filipino students.
In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer last Thursday, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said that the department is now working on a bill to this effect and, at the same time, is looking for a sponsor at the lower house to facilitate its passage.
“We are preparing to file a bill to have it (NCAE) legislated and therefore, mandatory,” said Lapus.
The NCAE, he said, is one of his attempts towards changing the mind-sets of Filipinos who think that only a college diploma -- albeit stemming from a college education that is not compatible with their capabilities -- is the only way to have a productive work career.
“We are too fixated on this [college diploma], while other countries are not,” said Lapus.
The DepEd’s NCAE was given last January 17 to about 1.4 million fourth year high school students in 10,148 high schools nationwide. These examinations are intended to help students decide what courses to pursue in college or seek vocational education instead.
The results of the January examinations, said Lapus, show that the bulk of the takers have stronger inclinations and aptitudes for technical-vocational programs, and are therefore fit to pursue careers other than those based on a four-year college degree.
DepEd data showed that out of the almost 1.4 million high school students that took the NCAE, about 54% or 711,526 students scored high for technical-vocational programs.
Lapus said the DepEd has already started to strengthen its Technical-Vocational Education Curriculum in secondary schools in order to respond to these results. Technical-vocational curriculum focuses on skills development to prepare the students for employment after school.
The DepEd’s technical-vocational program covers various areas of specialization such as in arts and trade, agriculture and fishery.
Nearly 1.8 million high school students are expected to take the next NCAE on August 28, 2007.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Dropouts take DepEd alternative
MANILA, Philippines -- You don’t have to be a world boxing champ in order to pass the Department of Education’s Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) test and get a high school diploma.
You can avail yourself of the DepEd’s Alternative Learning System (ALS), a practical option to the existing formal instruction for out-of-school youths and adults aged 16 years and over.
Since 2004, out-of-school youths have enrolled at the nearest DepEd school division between June and November, and attended the ALS sessions where they are given (or allowed to photocopy) modules for self-learning. In some centers, teachers or facilitators conduct reviews for the A&E test which is given in February every year.
A&E exam results are usually out in May, just in time for ALS graduates to enroll in college or apply for overseas jobs because now they have a high school diploma.
Out of 35,404 takers of the high school A&E test this year, 10,887 passed, according to the DepEd website.
ALS Quezon City division coordinator Alejandra Mondoñedo has seen the program grow from a literacy-cum-livelihood project in the 1970s to what it is today: An alternative and practical option which allows school dropouts to complete elementary and high school education outside the school system.
Mondoñedo, who turned 65 this year, remembers supervising vocational courses, like cooking, cosmetology and sewing, at the Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science and Technology High School on Roces Avenue in Quezon City.
A million stories
“Our students in the past were mostly working mothers and maids. When they enroll, they not only learn a skill, like cooking, how to give a manicure and pedicure, we make sure they also learn how to read and write,” Mondoñedo says.
A devoted teacher, she has a million stories about her “alaga”, which is what she calls the students she has met and helped through the years. They include men and women in their 20s and 30s who are too embarrassed to go back to regular school, young stars -- some of whom would come straight from taping at nearby ABS-CBN or GMA 7 -- maids, seamen, sidewalk vendors and yes, even children of congressmen.
She shares some of their stories with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.
“Vicente,” 38, has left the country many times to work as a seaman. But in 2005, he was asked to get off the ship. Reason: The company found out he had a fake high school diploma.
Mondoñedo says it was Vicente’s wife who first came to see her to ask about enrolling a family member in ALS.
“I asked if she had brought her son. She was not answering. Finally, she said, ‘Ma’am, hindi anak. Asawa ko po ang mag-aaral. Nasa labas siya. Ayaw pumasok at nahihiya. Baka daw siya ang pinakamatanda sa klase (It’s not my son, it’s my husband who will go to school. He’s outside. He doesn’t want to come in because he’s ashamed to be the oldest one in class),’” she recalls.
Mondoñedo suggested then that the couple first observe the class. When Vicente saw there were four other people in their 30s, he decided to enroll.
“He made five good friends. Only three passed the A&E test. Vicente was one of them. But he was not able to attend the graduation because he already got a job as a seaman,” she says.
Amelia
Then there’s the story of Amelia, who became pregnant when she was in third year high school. She was 24 years old and a working mother of two when she realized that in order to get a good job, she needed a college degree. But in order to go to college, she had to finish high school. She, however, didn’t want to go back to regular school. She would feel out of place with classmates 10 years her junior.
She enrolled in ALS at the Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science and Technology High School and would sometimes bring one of her children to class because she couldn’t find a baby-sitter. She passed the A&E test in 2005 and is currently enrolled at the Jose Rizal University taking up marketing.
In appreciation, she wrote a testimonial to the ALS, which Mondoñedo showed the Inquirer: “I’m very thankful for programs helping people who cannot afford to go to regular school. People who [have lost] their hopes and dreams because of wrong actions. I also thank our beloved teacher whose patience and support [enabled] students to reach their goals,” Amelia wrote.
Then there’s Roberto, 25, a TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority)-trained beautician who has won a lot of hair competitions. He was so good with hair, he caught the attention of Ricky Reyes who hired him as a trainer in his beauty school.
Roberto, a third year high school dropout, had a sibling working in Ireland, who wanted him to work there as well. But because Roberto didn’t have a high school diploma, he couldn’t apply for a job.
His case was referred to Mondoñedo by another hairdresser she had helped. Roberto attended the ALS sessions, passed the A&E exam last year and is now preparing to leave for Ireland because he landed a job as a beautician in a hotel.
Laurence
There’s Laurence, who was 36 when she first enrolled at ALS. She had already worked seven years as a domestic helper in Taiwan. She came home, used part of her savings to take a six-month care-giving course so she could go back to Taiwan and work there, this time as a caregiver. She passed the required TESDA exam, but she couldn’t get a job abroad without a high school diploma.
She heard about the A&E test, took it without attending the ALS and failed. The following year, she attended the ALS sessions, took the A&E test and this time, she passed.
“We also had a sidewalk vendor, who would leave his basket of Chippy and Storck outside the room and attend the sessions. He wants to become a barangay tanod and one of the requirements was a high school diploma,” Mondoñedo says.
Show biz folks
Then, of course, there are the show biz folks. Actor Mat Ranillo III enrolled at least two of his children in the ALS on Roces Avenue. Alma Moreno enrolled one of her kids in the ALS in Parañaque City.
Angelika de la Cruz was an ALS student in Malabon and passed her A&E test in 2003. Janus del Prado was an ALS student at Roces and passed the A&E test in 2005.
“Janus was a good student. He made friends, attended birthday parties and even brought food,” Mondoñedo says, adding that sometimes, their school can be as star-studded as the two networks nearby.
But not all show biz personalities finish the course or pass the exam, she notes. Those who stay long enough to graduate realize that show biz is fleeting and that sooner or later, they would need another profession.
Need for diploma
“We’ve had hotel singers, band members, even ‘Japayukis’ who have attended ALS. They dream of becoming professionals. To reach that goal, they would need a high school diploma,” she says.
It doesn’t matter why they stopped school, if they work or stay at home, not even if they’re rich or poor. Mondoñedo believes they can get a high school diploma if they study hard and attend the ALS sessions.
A few years ago, the school principal, who was then new, called her attention to an ALS student who came to school in dreadlocks and wore earrings.
“The principal told me: ‘Can you please ask him to cut his hair and not to wear earrings to school? It’s not the correct dress code,’” Mondoñedo narrates.
“Sabi ko pag pinutulan mo ’yan ng buhok, wala na siyang livelihood (If we ask him to cut his hair, we would be depriving him of his livelihood). After class, he goes straight to Timog and plays with a band.”
(For information on DepEd’s Alternative Learning System, 635-5193 and 632-1361 loc. 2083.)
By Elvira Mata - Inquirer
You can avail yourself of the DepEd’s Alternative Learning System (ALS), a practical option to the existing formal instruction for out-of-school youths and adults aged 16 years and over.
Since 2004, out-of-school youths have enrolled at the nearest DepEd school division between June and November, and attended the ALS sessions where they are given (or allowed to photocopy) modules for self-learning. In some centers, teachers or facilitators conduct reviews for the A&E test which is given in February every year.
A&E exam results are usually out in May, just in time for ALS graduates to enroll in college or apply for overseas jobs because now they have a high school diploma.
Out of 35,404 takers of the high school A&E test this year, 10,887 passed, according to the DepEd website.
ALS Quezon City division coordinator Alejandra Mondoñedo has seen the program grow from a literacy-cum-livelihood project in the 1970s to what it is today: An alternative and practical option which allows school dropouts to complete elementary and high school education outside the school system.
Mondoñedo, who turned 65 this year, remembers supervising vocational courses, like cooking, cosmetology and sewing, at the Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science and Technology High School on Roces Avenue in Quezon City.
A million stories
“Our students in the past were mostly working mothers and maids. When they enroll, they not only learn a skill, like cooking, how to give a manicure and pedicure, we make sure they also learn how to read and write,” Mondoñedo says.
A devoted teacher, she has a million stories about her “alaga”, which is what she calls the students she has met and helped through the years. They include men and women in their 20s and 30s who are too embarrassed to go back to regular school, young stars -- some of whom would come straight from taping at nearby ABS-CBN or GMA 7 -- maids, seamen, sidewalk vendors and yes, even children of congressmen.
She shares some of their stories with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.
“Vicente,” 38, has left the country many times to work as a seaman. But in 2005, he was asked to get off the ship. Reason: The company found out he had a fake high school diploma.
Mondoñedo says it was Vicente’s wife who first came to see her to ask about enrolling a family member in ALS.
“I asked if she had brought her son. She was not answering. Finally, she said, ‘Ma’am, hindi anak. Asawa ko po ang mag-aaral. Nasa labas siya. Ayaw pumasok at nahihiya. Baka daw siya ang pinakamatanda sa klase (It’s not my son, it’s my husband who will go to school. He’s outside. He doesn’t want to come in because he’s ashamed to be the oldest one in class),’” she recalls.
Mondoñedo suggested then that the couple first observe the class. When Vicente saw there were four other people in their 30s, he decided to enroll.
“He made five good friends. Only three passed the A&E test. Vicente was one of them. But he was not able to attend the graduation because he already got a job as a seaman,” she says.
Amelia
Then there’s the story of Amelia, who became pregnant when she was in third year high school. She was 24 years old and a working mother of two when she realized that in order to get a good job, she needed a college degree. But in order to go to college, she had to finish high school. She, however, didn’t want to go back to regular school. She would feel out of place with classmates 10 years her junior.
She enrolled in ALS at the Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science and Technology High School and would sometimes bring one of her children to class because she couldn’t find a baby-sitter. She passed the A&E test in 2005 and is currently enrolled at the Jose Rizal University taking up marketing.
In appreciation, she wrote a testimonial to the ALS, which Mondoñedo showed the Inquirer: “I’m very thankful for programs helping people who cannot afford to go to regular school. People who [have lost] their hopes and dreams because of wrong actions. I also thank our beloved teacher whose patience and support [enabled] students to reach their goals,” Amelia wrote.
Then there’s Roberto, 25, a TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority)-trained beautician who has won a lot of hair competitions. He was so good with hair, he caught the attention of Ricky Reyes who hired him as a trainer in his beauty school.
Roberto, a third year high school dropout, had a sibling working in Ireland, who wanted him to work there as well. But because Roberto didn’t have a high school diploma, he couldn’t apply for a job.
His case was referred to Mondoñedo by another hairdresser she had helped. Roberto attended the ALS sessions, passed the A&E exam last year and is now preparing to leave for Ireland because he landed a job as a beautician in a hotel.
Laurence
There’s Laurence, who was 36 when she first enrolled at ALS. She had already worked seven years as a domestic helper in Taiwan. She came home, used part of her savings to take a six-month care-giving course so she could go back to Taiwan and work there, this time as a caregiver. She passed the required TESDA exam, but she couldn’t get a job abroad without a high school diploma.
She heard about the A&E test, took it without attending the ALS and failed. The following year, she attended the ALS sessions, took the A&E test and this time, she passed.
“We also had a sidewalk vendor, who would leave his basket of Chippy and Storck outside the room and attend the sessions. He wants to become a barangay tanod and one of the requirements was a high school diploma,” Mondoñedo says.
Show biz folks
Then, of course, there are the show biz folks. Actor Mat Ranillo III enrolled at least two of his children in the ALS on Roces Avenue. Alma Moreno enrolled one of her kids in the ALS in Parañaque City.
Angelika de la Cruz was an ALS student in Malabon and passed her A&E test in 2003. Janus del Prado was an ALS student at Roces and passed the A&E test in 2005.
“Janus was a good student. He made friends, attended birthday parties and even brought food,” Mondoñedo says, adding that sometimes, their school can be as star-studded as the two networks nearby.
But not all show biz personalities finish the course or pass the exam, she notes. Those who stay long enough to graduate realize that show biz is fleeting and that sooner or later, they would need another profession.
Need for diploma
“We’ve had hotel singers, band members, even ‘Japayukis’ who have attended ALS. They dream of becoming professionals. To reach that goal, they would need a high school diploma,” she says.
It doesn’t matter why they stopped school, if they work or stay at home, not even if they’re rich or poor. Mondoñedo believes they can get a high school diploma if they study hard and attend the ALS sessions.
A few years ago, the school principal, who was then new, called her attention to an ALS student who came to school in dreadlocks and wore earrings.
“The principal told me: ‘Can you please ask him to cut his hair and not to wear earrings to school? It’s not the correct dress code,’” Mondoñedo narrates.
“Sabi ko pag pinutulan mo ’yan ng buhok, wala na siyang livelihood (If we ask him to cut his hair, we would be depriving him of his livelihood). After class, he goes straight to Timog and plays with a band.”
(For information on DepEd’s Alternative Learning System, 635-5193 and 632-1361 loc. 2083.)
By Elvira Mata - Inquirer
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