educNEWS May 2012 by DepEd Philippines

VOL. III NO. 5 / MAY 2012

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

educNEWS 2012 Palarong Pambansa The grandest scholastic sports spectacle in the country goes to the Festival Capital of the North

R O F E

T L O N A

brother’s brew

e are embarking on what is considered the most comprehensive basic education reform since the establishment of the public education system more than a century ago. The challenges posed by the K to 12 are great. We are starting to introduce changes in the basic education curriculum so that our learners can have true mastery of basic competencies, and have a more deliberate path to the world of work and entrepreneurship or are better prepared for higher learning.

The impetus for meaningful education reform is clear: the realities of our modern world require a different kind of Filipino - the Filipino who is a lifelong learner, holistically developed,

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globally-oriented and locallygrounded. Ang Bagong Pilipino – higit sa pagiging maka-tao, maka-Diyos, makabayan, at maka-kalikasan – ay kailangan magtaglay ng kasanayan at pananaw na angkop sa 21st Century. Ito po ang layunin ng K to 12 Program, na mabigyan ng sapat at pantay na pagkakataon tungo sa isang disente at marangal na buhay ang bawat Pilipino. I hope all of you are as excited and as fired up as I am, along with many others who have worked long hours on every facet of the K to 12 Program. There will always be those who doubt our capacity and question our sincerity. There will always be those who, while respectful of our intentions, fundamentally disagree with the approaches we choose to take. But I welcome the scrutiny and to a certain extent, even the cynicism. To those who agree with us and especially

to those who disagree, I have a simple message: the Department is here to serve all of you. I genuinely believe that the K to 12 Program, along with the broader basic education reform agenda of this government, will benefit every Filipino. Marami pong salamat sa walang sawa ninyong paglilingkod sa ating mga kabataan at mag-aaral. Kadalasan po ay sadyang mahirap ang pagtugon sa tawag ng ating katungkulan. The job may seem thankless and futile at times, but please keep the faith. Years and decades from now, we will all collectively look back at this period as a time of immense flux and more importantly, of incredible courage and dedication. It is never easy to reform a system as huge and complex as basic education. But with all of you solidly behind us, hindi lang po kakayanin kundi kayang-kaya natin! May 2012

educNEWS EDITORIAL TEAM

contents

ANNA CRISTINA M. GANZON editorial adviser MARIBEL P. CABASAL associate editor MELINDRE B. EGLORIA FLORELYN M. MORADA LEMUEL C. VALLES LAWRENCE D. CRUZ JASON O. VILLENA staff writers LEMUEL C. VALLES creative director ELINETTE B. DELA CRUZ MA. ANTOINETTE I. MONTEMAYOR layout artists JASON O. VILLENA graphic artist EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION DIVISION EDUCATIONAL AUDIO-VISUAL DIVISION photography

02 Brother’s brew 04 Editorial

Sports to develop a better person

05 Feature

What’s in their minds?

06 Flagship program

DepEd achieves one textbook per student target

08 Banner story

‘Palaro’ goes to Pangasinan

10 OK to 12

Senior high school for skills specialization

11 Special feature

Remembering a Renaissance Man

12 Flagship program

Reaching out to the out-of-school

14 Feature

Earn while you learn this summer

EducNews welcomes contributions from the DepEd community. Materials may be submitted to the Educational Information Division, Room B-110, Ground Floor, Bonifacio Building with telefax number (02) 6341169 or email eid.deped@yahoo.com.

May 2012 May 2012

15 Pluma ng Diwa

Laro ng Kinabukasan VOL. III NO. 5 / MAY 2012

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

educNEWS 2012 Palarong Pambansa

About the cover A student athlete raring to go the distance for that elusive gold.

The grandest scholastic sports spectacle in the country goes to the Festival Capital of the North

OR T F LE NO SA

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editorial

The Palarong Pambansa is one of the long standing traditions of the public school system. Considered the country’s premier sportsfest, this is the culmination of inter-school, district and division eliminations that climax into the national competition. The holding of the Palaro from May 6 to 12 at the Narciso Ramos Sports Center in Lingayen, Pangasinan will not only provide a venue for healthy competition among young Filipino athletes. It is a forum to form solidarity among the expected 10,000 regional sporting delegates. Truly, each of the 17 regions will vie for the gold. Every student athlete will pit his skill and stamina against the other. The athlete is there to win, to excel and prove that he is the best among his peers. But the Department of Education believes that winning is merely a secondary objective of sports because more important than the final outcome is how the game was played. A true sportsman will not cheat, change his name, or swap games. Sports is a test for honesty and integrity. Sports will prepare our student-athletes in the many fields of human undertakings outside the school. The values they learn from sports will essentially prepare them for other aspects of their personal life. At the end of the day, sports is part of holistic education that is meant to develop a better person among us. Through the Palaro, the DepEd management is also accentuating the cultivation of environmental consciousness among the athletes and officials by pushing for “clean and green” or eco-friendly initiatives. The use of plastic and styrofoam food containers is prohibited and the adoption of waste segregation scheme is implemented. Also, this year the no alcohol, no gambling and smoking rule applies to all including sports officials who are expected to set an example. Truly, this is going to be the beginning of a “clean” Palaro in every sense.

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Sports to develop a better person

May 2012

feature Promotions

What’s in their minds? by Maribel Cabasal

his year’s newly-appointed educators took their oath of office at the Office of the Secretary Central Office last March 14. Through the EducNews, they shared their dreams and aspirations in their place of work.

Assistant Regional Director Orfelina O. Tuy of Region 5 has been promoted as Regional Director of the same region. First, I intend to have a career path and leadership succession planning in the school, division and regional levels. I would also like to develop researchbased policies and programs, and to implement food production by and for all school children in the region. Of course, we will implement the K to 12 and the Mother Tongue Based – Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE).

My primary plans include, (1) reengineering the Division Office, and (2) building a community of stakeholders that supports the delivery of quality basic education in the city. Reengineering the Division Office means placing the right people with the right knowledge, skills and attitude to the right position in order to improve academic achievement. The Division is challenged by a low performance in academic achievement compared with other Divisions in the region. We need experts for each of the subject areas and other specializations. With experts (to be identified from the field) assigned in every subject area, program and project, we can ensure effective curriculum implementation. They will be knowledgeable in providing technical assistance to schools, teachers and learners and will also be competent in developing instructional materials, lesson exemplars and assessment tools. The other plan is to build a community of stakeholders working with us towards better delivery of quality basic education in the city. We intend to generate passion, support and funds for all our undertakings in education. We will engage all sectors: private, civil society, individuals, communities, other national government agencies, etc. To start this program, we will conduct our first

OIC Divison Schools Superintendent Isagani S. Dela Cruz of Koronadal City has been promoted Superintendent in the same division.

Education Summit this May 2012. The summit will highlight the state of basic education in the city and what actions we can do as a community to deal with issues and challenges for the education of our youth. We will also determine what the industry in Koronodal needs by the time the first batch of K to 12 graduates in Senior High School – for us to align what our secondary schools will offer. I understand K to 12 implementation will address this.

Supt. Isagani S. Dela Cruz

Dir. Orfelina O. Tuy On top of the implementation of K to 12 Program in the region, we need to look into the prevailing circumstances that hinder the attainment of a 100 percent participation, completion and cohort survival rates of children in our schools. Baguio City Division Schools Superintendent Ellen B. Donato was promoted Regional Director of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

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We will look into the reasons for dropouts and other causes of leaving schools at all ages, and the implementation and compliance of DepEd policies. We also like to preserve our unique culture so the promotion of mother tongue and the indigenous curriculum is very much welcome to us. Dir. Ellen B. Donato

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DepEd achieves one textbook per student target by Florelyn Cherry Morada

he Department of Education is set to accomplish this school year the delivery of 63,385,573 textbooks and teacher’s manuals in fulfillment of its target to provide one textbook for every student on core subjects.

“This year, the department has the biggest provision of books for public schools all over the country,” said Carolina Rivera, Chief, Procurement and Monitoring Division, Instructional Materials Council Secretariat (IMCS).The books which have been distributed with universal titles include English for grades 1 to 6, Filipino 1 to 4, Sibika 1 to 6, Araling Panlipunan 1 to 4, Science and Technology 1 to 4, Music and Arts for 4th year, and Physical Education and Health for 2nd year. The books provided as replenishment of previously approved titles are Filipino for grades 1 to 6; Science 3 to 6, Math 1, 2 and 6; and for the new universal title is Math for grades 3, 4 and 5. Rivera said that the total delivery of books as of April is 42,455,126 or 66.98 percent complete. The total number of books that will be delivered starting May until July is 17,123,640 or 27.02 percent. The last batch of delivery with a total of 3,806,807 or 6 percent is set for bidding.

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Strategies for effective book delivery To ensure effective delivery of books nationwide, Rivera said they conduct cluster orientations to school heads, property custodians and supply officers of public elementary and secondary schools. “The participants are instructed on how to inspect books; fill up delivery documents such as delivery receipts, inspection and acceptance reports, and division certificates of acceptance; and reporting method for defective and deficient deliveries,” Rivera explained. “Aside from the conduct of orientation, IMCS has implemented extensive information dissemination drive by sending letters to authorized receiving personnel and school inspectorate teams informing them of the quantities, unit costs, titles and suppliers of books to be delivered in their areas,” Rivera added. “They have to be present during unloading of deliveries and they are required to conduct random inspection by opening all the boxes and inspecting one to two books per box,” Rivera stressed.

Textbook Walk Textbook Walk is a program that involves synchronized school and community-based activity where local volunteers and companies organize to supplement DepEd mechanisms in bringing textbooks and other instructional materials to the recipient schools. Rivera emphasized that with the school-community participation, the districts are assisted by local government May 2012

units by providing transportation from the district to the elementary schools. “With the Textbook Walk program, the books are delivered to the schools without expense on the part of the DepEd with the help of LGUs, the community, parents and the students. It is a festive activity done during weekends so as not to distract classes,” Rivera said. “In areas which are not passable by any kind of transportation, the volunteers would carry the books to the elementary schools,” Rivera pointed out. In the case of the textbooks for high schools, the suppliers deliver the books directly to the schools.

Textbook Count

The Textbook Count program ensures the quality production of instructional materials in accordance with the specifications determined by the Department; timely delivery of books to the recipient high schools and school districts for elementary textbooks and teacher’s manuals; and delivery in exact quantities. A salient feature of the Textbook Count is the nationwide partnership between DepEd and the Consortium of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) through a memorandum of agreement and a commitment of support and cooperation. The consortium of CSOs and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) involved in Textbook Count consists of 48 members with Government Watch as the national coordinating office. It is composed of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), Education Network, Ateneo

May 2012

School of Government, Barug! Pilipino, Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP), Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP), Kapatiran Kaunlaran Foundation, Inc. (KKFI), Konsyensyang Pilipinas, Naga City People’s Council, National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), Procurement Watch, Inc., Quezon City PTCA Federation, Inc., Rahma Qur’anic Center and Mosque Foundation, Rotary Club of Manila, Ten Outstanding Boy Scouts of the Philippines (TOBSPA), Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), among others. Some of these CSOs have been involved in the program since 2003. “The CSO volunteers observe and witness deliveries to public schools and assist the schools in conducting random inspection and counting delivered goods,” Rivera said. The Textbook Count has promoted better understanding of the DepEd field offices with regard to the role of the CSOs in the program as well as improved coordination among stakeholders as a result of learning from years of experience.

Anticipated Problems According to Rivera, the inevitable problem during delivery is frequent calamities. Delivery schedule is synchronized hence it takes a lot of coordination to be able to reset delivery date. “For books which might be destroyed during calamities, we provide buffer stocks for replacement,” Rivera assured. In spite of the few issues and concerns, the DepEd has successfully closed the gap on textbooks for public school students nationwide.

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banner story

‘Palaro’ goes to Pangasinan by Lemuel Valles

t will be a festival of sports ‘Palaro’ goes ‘clean and green’ talents this year as the grandest For the second straight year, scholastic sports spectacle in the DepEd will seriously pursue the country goes to the Festival the campaign to make Palarong Pambansa an environment-friendly Capital of the North. After 15 years, the province of Pangasinan will once again host Palarong Pambansa, a week-long event that brings together the country’s aspiring athletes from elementary and secondary public and private schools. The event will take place on May 6 to 12 and is expected to be participated in by approximately 10,000 athletes, coaches and sports officials from all over the country. “Palarong Pambansa is a special sporting event because the competing athletes are young students who, from pre-competition preparations up to the actual competitions, work doubly hard to make their schools and region proud,” said DepEd Secretary Br. Armin Luistro. 8│

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event. “We started this in Dipolog, Zamboanga last year, we will do it better this year,” said Secretary Luistro. All participants are urged to adhere to the clean, green and ecofriendly measures that DepEd intends to implement during the conduct of this year’s Palaro to ensure the protection of public health and the environment. Eco-friendly procedures to be observed during the week-long event include prohibition on the use of plastic and styrofoam food containers, adoption of waste segregation schemes in the athletes’ place of accommodations and in all game venues, to add emphasis on the respect for the environment. On another aspect, DepEd guarantees that athlete screening and games officiating will be clean and

fair to all in keeping with the true spirit of the sporting event. “The national screening committee is headed by a lawyer, Atty. Cornelio Pacala, and composed of medical doctors and dentists that will ensure every athlete is eligible to participate in the games,” said 2012 Palarong Pambansa Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary Tonisito M.C. Umali, Esq. “Aside from the traditional method of stringy verification, the national screening committee is infusing science in evaluating authenticity of each studentathlete’s information, particularly the age. The age of the participant can be accurately determined by just merely checking on his third molar tooth. This system will absolutely prevent attempts of participating students to cheat on their age,” he added. According to Rex Mirando, a Physical Education teacher at Recto Elementary School in Genral Luna, Quezon Province, stricter implementation of among all

May 2012

athletes in Palaro is one great move to ensure that only qualified players will participate. “Being a part of DepEd, it is expected that we be the catalyst in promoting honesty and sportsmanship through sports. This policy will contribute a lot in the development of sports in our country and most of all in promoting positive values among young Filipino athletes,” he said.

such as goalball, aquatics, bocce, long jump, shot put, and the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter dash. Most of the events will be played at the Narciso Ramos Sports Center in Lingayen while the rest will be in the cities of San Carlos and Dagupan and the towns of Bugallon and Binmaley.

17 regions, 17 events, 1 goal

Perennial champion and powerhouse National Capital Region (NCR) will be out there to defend their title and claim their 7th straight overall championship, but other regions are gearing up their sports program to ensure that the Big City’s run ends at 6. Western Visayas and Calabarzon regions are the apparent threats to NCR’s championship run as they placed second and third overall, respectively, in last year’s Palarong Pambansa. NCR’s domination started in the 2006 edition of Palaro held in Naga City.

As usual, 17 regions from all over the country will slug it out in 17 events for this year’s coveted title. The events, with divisions for boys and girls in elementary and high school levels, to be featured in this year’s Palarong Pambansa will be archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, football, gymnastics, sipa/sepak takraw, softball, swimming table tennis, tennis (lawn) taekwondo, and volleyball. Sporting events for the differently-abled are also included,

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Eyeing number 7

Breeding ground of world-class athletes Palarong Pambansa has become a breeding ground for some of the best national athletes since it started in 1948. Among former Palaro talents are Elma Muros and Lydia de Vega for athletics; Diane Castillejo for tennis; Joper Esqueta and Gabriel Magnaye for badminton; Violito Paylo for boxing; Susan Papa for swimming; Joan Chan for Archery; and Mark Paragua for chess. The Palaro also prides itself for producing great Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) players such as Danny Ildefonso, Marlou Aquino, Willie Miller, Samboy Lim, and Kerby Raymundo. Azkals player and captain Chieffy Caligdong is also a product of the Palarong Pambansa.

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Ok to 12

nemployment persists. Unemployed graduates continue to pile up. The most common complaint of employers is that the products of the current educational system are unripe for employment and untrained in basic competencies.

Senior high school for skills specialization by Maribel Cabasal

Moreover, they are observed to lack critical skills such as problem solving, initiative and creativity, and are not adequately prepared for either the world of work, entrepreneurship or even higher education. This implies that the high school graduates who will not go to college would either be unemployed or be vulnerable to exploitative labor practices. Aside from the fact, of course, that they are too young to enter the labor force (below 18) and those who may be interested to set up a business cannot legally enter into contracts. The congested curriculum is said to have partly been caused by the present state of education. Other countries have 12-year education cycle while the Philippines has only 10. Filipino students are forced to go through a 10-year curriculum that is learned by the rest of the world in 12 years. This is exactly what K to 12 intends to address: declog the curriculum and enhance the learning competencies that the students can capitalize on for employment or for higher education. K to 12 will add two years of Senior High School (SHS)or Grades 11 and 12 for in-depth specialization for entrepreneurial or Tech Voc skills. One of the reasons of SHS is to address the issue on mismatch of competencies and the job requirements of industries and the business sector. Of course, SHS graduates will not all become entrepreneurs and skilled workers because others will go to college. But the government makes sure that through K to 12, every SHS graduate is 10 │

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ready to either go to college or try his hand in the world of work. “This is the beauty of the SHS Modelling. We give the Tech Voc schools the flexibility to innovate and develop their curriculum based on the needs of the students and the demand of local industries. We let the schools design their instructional materials and experiment varied teaching and learning strategies suited to their students and learning environment, but the schools should ensure that before offering a course of specialization, there are qualified teachers, laboratory workshop, functional facilities and tools for their students,” Dir. Demetria Manuel of Tech Voc clarified. “Kung ang isang school ay gustong mag-focus sa weaving dahil iyun ang kailangan ng community nila, di idagdag nila ang weaving sa kanilang curriculum,” said Dir. Milagros Valles of Tech Voc Secretariat. “Hence, an agricultural town may offer agricultural electives, coastal areas may offer fishery electives, urban areas on industrial arts. This will also be systematically matched with labor market studies,” Valles added. The nationwide implementation of SHS will be in school year 2016 to 2017 but School Modelling will start in June 2012. Br. Armin Luistro has this to say: “To be relevant, SHS can extend beyond academic specializations to address local industry needs and opportunities. They will learn competencies and skills relevant to the job market. Schools need not wait for the government

to tell them what to do. They should know what their community needs and what to supply to local industries. In this way, SHS students who do not wish to pursue college will find jobs,” Br. Armin said. Related to this, Br. Armin recently launched the “Special Secondary School for the Conservation of the Ifugao Rice Terraces” at Gohang National High School in Banaue. According to the Secretary, this will help ensure the conservation of the rice terraces. “The school will also teach the Ifugao students ‘the art and science’ of cultural practices, especially those not found in books relating to the wonders of the terraces, an engineering marvel and gift of the Ifugao people to world heritage,” Br. Armin said. It was learned that in Davao, where solar energy is gaining popularity, there is a move that Grades 11 and 12 will focus on trainings that will service solar panels. Other plans include the establishments of Coffee Academies in Batangas and Bukidnon, Weaving and Crafts School in the Cordilleras and Ilocos, and the BPO “earn while you learn” programs in Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro and Davao. But it will not just happen. “Ang DepEd ang maghahanda ng dadaanan ng mga mag-aaral subalit ang mga estudyante ang magsisikap upang matutunan ang skills na magbibigay ng trabaho o magdadala sa kanila sa kolehiyo,” said Assistant Secretary Elena Ruiz.

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special feature

n his early bio-sketches, former Undersecretary Victor Ordonez says he is “unmarried, unattached, uncommitted and drifting.” Friends, on the other hand, describe him as “world famous and respected education expert and renaissance man of myriad interests.”

Remembering a Renaissance Man A man in a hurry, at 23, he had completed a Ph.D. in Oriental Philosophy. At 25, he had accumulated seven academic degrees in different fields, with four summa cum laudes, one magna cum laude and two cum laudes. At 30, he had added three postdoctoral scholarships at the University of Wisconsin, at the Asian Institute of Management and at the Harvard Business School. He was also awarded three honorary doctorates, in humane letters, in pedagogy and in humanities. Recently, the Department of Education officials and employees through the Staff Development Division, joined SEAMEO INNOTECH in honoring Ordoñez through an International Education Colloquium held at the Central Office.

An ideal boss Anita H. Martin, former deputy executive director of the Educational Development Projects Implementation Task Force (EDPITAF) remembers Ordonez as “someone who was always very fair.” “Everybody was equal in his eyes and he got along well with all kinds of people,” she said. May 2012

He was one of those rare intellectuals who, as undersecretary was also the concurrent chief of staff, the chairman of the Board of Higher Education, the supervising undersecretary of the National Museum, the National Library, the National Historical Institute, the Institute of National Languages and the National Archives. “Dr. O, as some of us fondly called him, exceeded my own definition of an ideal boss. I will always be awed by his brilliance and character – he scaled great professional heights that naturally busied him with high-caliber professionals and elite personalities, yet he remained humble, approachable and friendly to anyone regardless of position or class. I will forever value and be proud of the association with him,” said Elizabeth Fontanoza, former project manager of EDPITAF.

Giving all of himself Ordoñez accomplished so much while in DepEd. He was the moving spirit behind the creation of the Presidential Commission for Culture and the Arts and its evolution into the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. He worked with the

1986 Constitutional Commission to see that public secondary education would be included as the government’s obligation to its citizens and thus made tuition free. He designed the student support schemes for opening wide government assistance to private education; he secured substantive grant for free textbook paper to provide the secondary school system with lower cost books; and expanded the role of the EDPITAF, of which he was the executive director, beyond that of monitoring bank-assisted projects, to that of actively expanding the base of international grants for education from bilateral donors. He also introduced curricular reform and values education in schools and institutionalized in-service training programs. He was more than an education advocate. He was also a patron of arts, a prolific writer, a humane administrator, a serious photographer, a builder of model ships, a two-time MVP in basketball and a four-time gold medalist in high jump and other track events. Though he has faded from the scene, he will always be remembered. Ordonez as a renaissance man is indeed a well- deserved epithet.

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flagship program

Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Summer Program

Reaching out to the out-of-school by Maribel P. Cabasal

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ark, a high school dropout, did not have plans for summer. And just like in the past, he would wake up in the morning, tinker with the computer, hang out with friends, and be home again to sleep late at night. This has become his routine for two years. His parents, both working, would nag him to go back to school, but no amount of prodding moved him.

This summer, Mark has a chance to change his bum lifestyle through DepEd’s Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Summer Program where high school dropouts and all youth regardless of gender, physical, intellectual, social, emotional condition and linguistic background are enjoined to attend summer class with alternative lessons using “learning-friendly” strategies. “Hindi na ako mahihiyang pumasok dahil alam kong marami sa mga magiging kaklase ko ang kagaya ko rin ang sitwasyon,” Mark said. “Magkakaintindihan kami at di siguro mahirap mag-adjust,” he added. Dubbed “Reaching the Unreached Through ADM Summer Program for FY 2012,” the activity aims to provide more inclusive approaches and wider strategies to address access and quality education in the elementary and secondary levels.

A ticket for graduation “Maganda ang ADM kasi bibigyan muna kami ng eksamin para malaman ang aming kakayahan saka daw kami turuan ngayong summer ayon sa aming lebel. Mabuti rin ito kasi marami na akong nalimutan at ‘yun nga ang rason kung bakit parang ayaw ko nang pumasok noon,” Mark opened up. “We will first give them a pre test in English, Science and Math for us to determine what mode of ADM summer learning will be suitable to each learner. In preparation for the Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT), we also instruct the schools to review the summer learners in Filipino and Araling Panlipunan - this is is for the learners’ ‘mainstreaming’ in our schools in June,” said Prudencia “Ka Prudence” Sanoy, DepEd Drop Out Reduction ProgramOpen High School Program (DORP-OHSP) team leader. May2012 2012 May

Modes of Learning The three learning modes of the summer program are: the Home Schooling or Independent Level, the Blended Learning or Instructional Level and the School-based or Guided Learning Beginning Level. The Home Schooling mode happens when a learner is home schooled or his modules and other self-learning materials are brought home. The facilitator and the learner mutually agree on their face-to-face schedule of classes. The face-to-face may be done only once a week since the learner is more independent. The Blended Learning mode is when there are more frequent face-to-face schedule between the facilitator and the learner, maybe twice or thrice a week, to bridge the weaknesses of the learner. The School-Based Guided Learning mode is when there is an individualized teaching-learning process, thus the learner will have to attend ADM classes everyday.

Recovering potential drop-outs To date, DepEd has identified 213,702 students-at-risk of dropping out (SARDOs) nationwide. Of these, DepEd was able to recover 116,064 of them. The department continuously works hard to find these students and bring them to school through the numerous ADM of education. DepEd wants this kind of learners to become functionally literate and finish school to become productive citizens in the future. The ADM registration was conducted during the four Saturdays of February. According to Sanoy, as of April 20, there are 60,000 registrants for the summer program nationwide. Meanwhile, teacher-facilitators who handle the conduct of the summer program shall be granted a professional fee. Sanoy disclosed that, in cases of inadequate registration documents, a certification expressing the willingness of the local government unit-barangay level, and the local Department of Social Welfare and Development are needed to assist the client in the submission of requirements. The ADM summer program is a seven-week course. This is the first time that DepED is offering this. “We hope that after the ADM summer program, and after having given the PEPT to our learners, they will continue to study via our regular schools or through the Open High School Program (OHSP) where they will use learning modules this June,” Sanoy said. The education revolution rages on. We are affirming our commitment to it.

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feature

Earn while you learn this summer By Maribel Cabasal and Lawrence Cruz

tudents and out-of-school youths (OSYs) often have plenty of time to spare during summer. Hence, keeping them occupied with an incomegenerating activity like the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) will make them productive. Take the case of Justine Camille Española, 17, an incoming first year college student who plans to take up Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. “Nagkaroon kami ng family at financial problem kaya natigil ako sa pag-aaral. Pumasok ako sa SPES para magamit ang sweldo ko sa tuition ko at pambaon na rin,” she said. She will receive a salary not lower than the existing minimum wage in the National Capital Region, 60 percent of which will be paid in cash by DepEd and 40 percent by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in the form of education vouchers. On top of 14 │

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that, DepEd will give her P 50 daily for food allowance. Irvin Garin, 17, of Sampaloc Manila, an incoming second year Graphics Techology student at the Technological University of the Philippines, Taft, wants to earn for his tuition fee and allowance. “Mahirap po ang buhay kaya tinutulungan ko po ang aking mga magulang sa pamamagitan ng SPES,” he said. “We have two goals here. We give summer jobs to 150 young people to assist them in their studies while we provide relief to the different offices in the department by supplying them with student-trainees,” says Executive Director Joey Pelaez of the Center for Students and Co-curricular Affairs (CSCA).

Getting the most qualified “We see to it that only the most qualified are accomodated based on the strict policies and procedures required under SPES and DepEd. We also ensure that whatever the

students earn will be utilized for their education,” he added. The SPES is a project of the DOLE’s Bureau of Local Employment (BLE). It is an annual work-appreciation program under Republic Act 9547 entitled “An Act Strengthening and Expanding the Coverage of the Special Program for the Employment of Students.” It was enacted by Congress to address the need to keep our youth occupied with productive activities, especially during summer. Eligible for the SPES program are students and OSYs between 15 and 25 years old enrolled during the last school year or intending to continue their studies, whose parents combined net income is not more than P143,000 per year. The students work for 40 days which started April 10 this year. “This is not a matter of simply working for us, but for them (studenttrainees) to be learning from us. I hope that the offices where they are assigned take time to really take care of them so that they learn something new from us,” Pelaez said. May 2012

pluma ng diwa

Laro ng Kinabukasan Ni Jason Villena

Sa bawat patak ng pawis sa mahigpit na labanan. Sa bawat pagsusumikap kahit pagal na ang katawan. Ang layuni’y magtagumpay at sa lahat ay ipaalam na ibubuhos ang lakas makamit lang ang inaasam. Ang lumaban ng parehas kahit medyo nadedehado. Ang di dungisan ang dangal ang di mandaya’t, manloko. Ang palaging maging tapat manalo man o matalo maging isang manlalaro maging isang mabuting tao. Ang iwasang maging presko at lasing sa karangalan. Ang ituring na kaibigan ang katunggali sa laban.

May 2012

Ang isa-isip palagi na lahat ay maaasahan pagkat sa larangan ng isports hindi puwede ang puro’s yabang. Ang makamit ang gintong medalya na siyang laging minimithi. Ang maging una sa lahat huwaran at katangi-tangi. Maiibsan lahat ng pagod mapapalitan ng ngiti isa sa maraming bagay na di mabibili ng salapi. Laro ng kinabukasan ng isports sa ating bansa. Bagong rekords ng kahusayan siguradong maitatala. Mga bagong pagsasamahan ay tiyak na malilikha. Ang natatanging tradisyon ng ating Palarong Pambansa.

Tungkol sa tulang “Laro ng Kinabukasan” Ang tula ay patungkol sa mga katangian ng isang mabuti at mahusay na manlalaro na dapat tularan ng ating mga umuusbong na atleta. Tinalakay nito na di lamang tagumpay ang mahalaga sa pakikipagtagisan ng galing, kailangan din nang pakikisama at pakikipag-ugnayan sa kakampi man o sa katunggali. Mababasa na bukod sa lakas at husay sa palakasan kailangan din na maging mabuti at disente kang tao, hindi nandadaya, hindi nanloloko, hindi ba’t napakatamis ng tagumpay kung pinaghirapan sa mabuting paraan? Tunay na ang Palarong Pambansa ay isa sa mga paligsahan na humuhubog sa ating mga kabataan upang maging mahusay at natatanging manlalaro at maging isang responsable at mabuting mamamayan ng bansa.

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