A priest blesses the new San Miguelay Elementary School building on Nov 23, 2023 (Photo: Ronald O Reyes)
By Ronald O. Reyes
Jan 13 2024
Eight-year-old Jessie Creado could not contain his excitement upon seeing his new school building.
His old school in geographically isolated San Miguelay village in Leyte province used to flood in torrential rains.
The new school building was built by the country’s education department to impart quality education and to close “the gaps between marginalized schools in rural areas and their counterparts in urban centers.”
The school renovation is part of the department’s Last Mile School Program aiming to transform makeshift classrooms into standard ones and install solar panels where electrification is difficult to come by.
Creado’s San Miguelay Elementary School school is equipped with solar panels under the Last Mile School Program, costing US$240,873.
Under the program, schools with fewer than four classrooms with no electricity and located more than an hour away from a town center are selected for improvement.
“I am happy that we have a new building. It feels good to attend the classes,” said Creado, a Grade 2 student.
Reversing the declining trend
San Miguelay Elementary School, which is located 7 kilometers away from Sta. Fe Town, has 74 students, burning the midnight oil from kindergarten to Grade 6.
Epimaco Densing III, undersecretary of the Department of Education, who graced the Nov 23 inauguration of the new building, said that the aim was to reverse the declining trend of education in the Philippines.
“Having a building is important in the whole learning process…We must be very clear that the only way to solve the problem of poverty in our country is to make sure that every child goes to school,” said Densing III, who looks after the department’s School Infrastructure and Facilities unit.
Ricardo Abejo, a 43-year-old parent from the isolated village, said that the new school building is a big help to them, especially during the rainy season.
“This new building is much better because the design is elevated,” Abejo, whose 10-year-old child attends San Miguelay Elementary School, told UCA News.
“I am happy to see him inside his new school. Students usually get too lazy to attend classes when there is a flood,” he said.
“As a parent, I am touched by the gesture of our government,” he added.
He assured that he, along with other villagers, will help maintain cleanliness and provide security at the building.
Dr Mariza Magan, education superintendent of Leyte province, is all praise for the school management and villagers for coming forward to set up a modern school despite the geographical isolation.
“Your passion is the driving force behind the transformation,” said Magan.
According to Densing III, the education department is short of 165,000 classrooms in the Catholic-majority country.
“It will take years to resolve this,” he added.
Humanitarian crisis
Non-profit organization, Philippine Business for Education, said that education “is in its worst state” and has become a “humanitarian crisis” in the country.
Among 81 nations that participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, the Philippines ranked 75th in math and reading tests, and 79th in science in 2022.
“The Philippines remains a world laggard in education. Now, more than ever, we need to fight this war against illiteracy,” the organization said in December 2023, following the release of the PISA report.
Besides poverty, family problems, lack of interest, transfer of residence, and a dearth of classrooms in remote areas are forcing students to quit classes.
In Leyte province, a total of 383,515 learners were enrolled at the start of this school year, but only 377,631 attend classes currently.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has repeatedly sought an urgent solution to the issues faced by learners and teachers.
We have a duty to lift up “all students, teachers, parents, all members of the community,” Bishop Daniel Presto of San Fernando La Union who heads the Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education said on Dec 29, 2023. – UCA News
