News

Pangasinan school bags international award

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines — The University of Luzon (UL) here bagged the league championship and semi-finalist trophy through its Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Team who participated together with 40 countries worldwide in the recently-concluded 2011 SIFE World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia held last month. The UL Team competed last Oct 3 to 5 through its entry Agenda for Reforms and Initiatives toward Sustainable Economy (ARISE) focusing on the four projects. 

These include Project SAVE Plus (Sustainable Actions for Viable Enviropreneurship), Project iCARE (Intensified Community Actions to Rescue the Earth), Project WELL (Women “Energizement” for Life-Long Livelihood) and Project WOW Ifugao (Wealth on Wonders of Ifugao). The ARISE Program addresses such issues as livelihood, malnutrition, food security and environmental protection by providing financial assistance and livelihood training to marginalized sectors, children, unemployed women, out-of-school-youth and persons with disabilities. 

The program benefitted around 19,000 individuals and 4,686 families. University of Regensburg in Germany won the title. The UL awardees included the presenters, Blas Jordan Matias, Lora Thana Santiago, John Eddie Gonzales, Aimee Rose Espinosa, Russel Justin Cruz, Sunny Luigi Prado; project leaders, Jennifer Caragay, Jessie Marie Idos, Prince Ulysses Diaz, Francis Baroma, Robycorahelga Marcos, Maureen Gamboa and Patricia Ayla Marie Geronimo.

The Philippine Star 
November 03, 2011

LCC conducts module development workshop for ALS radio program

by Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob 

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Oct. 25 (PIA) –- A consultative module development workshop for a Radio Program on Literacy (RPL) in Regions 9 and 10 will be held at Dynasty Court, this city on Oct. 27-28. 

The RPL aims to promote the thrusts and programs of Republic Act 10122, otherwise known as “An Act Strengthening the Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC) by Amending RA 7165,” also, known as “An Act Creating the LCC, Defining its Powers and Functions, Appropriating Funds, therefore and for Other Purposes.”

Dr. Norma Salcedo of the Department of Education (DepEd), Head of the LCC Secretariat, said the program aims to intensify advocacy and social mobilization promoting the literacy endeavors of the LCC through radio broadcast in remote areas of the country where the literacy rate is at its lowest. 

She said through the RPL, the LCC hopes to convince the parents in these areas by showing them the importance of sending their children to school or to non-formal schools for out of school children. They also aim to encourage out of school youths (OSY) and indigenous people to avail of non-formal schools, placements and assessment programs. 

Meanwhile, the RPL will be conducted by the LCC, in coordination with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), in the provinces of Basilan in Region 9 and Misamis Oriental in Region 10. 
Some of the “30 Bottom Barangays with Lowest Literacy Rate, 5th and 6th Class Municipalities,” are found in these regions, as shown in the “Literacy Mapping of the 20% of the Total Number of Barangays of the 20% Total Number of 5th and 6th Class Municipalities: Policy Implications to Local Government Units,” done by the LCC in 2007, Salcedo said. 

Thirteen of these barangays were in Region 10, of which seven were in Lanao del Norte, three each in Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental respectively. These were Barangays Pendalonan, Bubonga Radapan and Old Poblacion in Munai, Dansalan in Sapad, Cabasagan and Natangcopan in Pantao Ragat and Bangcal in Pantar, in Lanao del Norte, Barangays Dioyo and Ventura in Sapang Dalaga and Manalad in Calamba, Misamis Occidental and Matampa, Alipuaton and Bunal in Salay town, Misamis Oriental. 

However, the LGU’s in these areas have qualified that the data might have been gathered when most of the people were not in their homes as these were declared “no man’s land,” during the period due to the insurgency problems. 

Meanwhile, Staff Director Emelyn Q. Libunao of the PIA Program Management Division (PMD) said preparations for the creation of the RPL in the workshop will be attended by the following: 
Regional Directors of the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and Chief, DepEd Alternative Learning System (ALS) in region 10; 

ALS Coordinators, Mobile Teachers and Barangay Chairpersons in the Municipality of Salay, Misamis Oriental and Sapang Dalaga, Misamis Occidental and concerned local chief executives (LCE) of Lanao del Norte, Regional Director of PIA, Region 9 and Information Center Managers of Basilan, Lanao del Norte and Misamis Oriental. 

Target date of the RPL implementation in Basilan and Misamis Oriental is November 28, this year. (PIA-10) 

PIA Press Release Wednesday, October 26, 2011

1st Int’l Conference on Open and Distance e-Learning set

MANILA, Philippines – Educators, scholars and practitioners are invited to submit abstracts for paper and poster presentations at the first International Conference on Open and Distance e-Learning: Creating Spaces and Possibilities on Feb. 22 to 24, 2012 at the Century Park Hotel, Manila. Dubbed ICODeL 2012, the conference focuses on the convergence of philosophies, pedagogies and technologies in open and distance e-learning (ODeL), the opportunities opened up by this convergence, and the issues and challenges arising from the practice of ODeL in various contexts, including among others, education, public service and development. 

International experts Curtis Bonk of Indiana University and Denise Kirkpatrick of the UK’s Open University will speak at the conference. The proposed paper or poster should be relevant to one of the conference’s four sub-themes: The State of the Art in ODeL; Innovations and Best Practices in ODeL; Problems, Barriers, Reforms and Solutions; and Future Directions, Spaces and Possibilities in ODeL. 

The deadline for abstract submission is Nov. 15. Participants can register until Feb. 16, 2012. For details, log on to icodel.upou.edu.ph or e-mail at icodelsecretariat@upou.edu.ph. ICODeL 2012 is co-organized by the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), Philippine Society for Distance Learning and UPOU Foundation, Inc.

The Philippine Star 
November 03, 2011

DepEd’s dental project piloted in 20 grade schools in South

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines — At least 20 public elementary schools spread out in Mindanao’s six regions have been selected by the Department of Education (DepEd) to pilot the implementation of its dental project called “Happy Smiles for Healthy Kids” for school year 2011-2012 in the country’s second biggest island region. 

Dr. Walter Albos, DepEd regional director for Western Mindanao, said the project enforced by the department’s Health and Nutrition Center (HNC) in coordination with the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) and Lamoiyan Corp., is expected to initially benefit some 10,000 pupils in the Southern Philippines where tooth ailments, particularly dental caries, are found to be prevalent among school children. 

Luistro, Albos said, identified the 18 provincial and city schools divisions where the pilot schools are located as Pagadian City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Dipolog City and Zamboanga City in Western Mindanao or Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9); Bukidnon, Ozamiz City, and Camiguin in Northern Mindanao (Region 10); Davao del Sur, Davao City and Davao del Norte in Southern Mindanao (Region 11); South Cotabato, Kidapawan City, Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato City, and North Cotabato in Central Mindanao (Region 12); Surigao del Sur and Butuan City in Caraga (Region 13), and Lanao del Sur in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). 

Luistro also directed concerned schools division superintendents to strongly support the project which seeks to ultimately reduce the prevalence of dental caries and other tooth diseases among pupils, especially those in rural schools. 

The Philippine Star
November 03, 2011 

Bill to allow students with unpaid fees to take exams

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Manuel Villar Jr. is pushing for the passage of a bill that would make it illegal for all tertiary level institutions to prevent their students from taking their examinations due to non-payment of tuition fees. 

In Senate Bill 2992, Villar noted that students of post-secondary and higher education institutions shall have the right to take the mid-term of final examinations “notwithstanding the existence of unpaid financial obligations to the school.”

“Unfortunately for students and their parents, schools can be quite exacting when it comes to tuition and this could not be any more apparent than during examinations,” Villar said. 

“While we understand that tuition and other fees are necessary for schools to provide the service required of them, there will be instances when parents/students are unable to pay on time,” he added. By filing the bill, Villar said that he is looking to prohibit all public and private higher education institutions, including the vocational schools from enforcing the so-called no permit, no exam policy.

Villar lamented that a lot of these higher education institutions (HEI) have ignored appeals by the Commission on Higher Education for them to exercise a greater degree of flexibility towards students with unsettled accounts.

This, he said, has caused a great deal of suffering and mental torment on the students and their families who have their dreams of making their way out of poverty through education.

Instead of prohibiting the students with obligations from taking their exams, the bill would provide the HEIs certain rights that would protect their own interests. 

By Marvin Sy (The Philippine Star) 
November 03, 2011

Australian gov’t to assist DepEd in implementing K+12 curriculum

MANILA, Philippines – The Australian government has pledged to assist the Department of Education (DepEd) as it pushes ahead with the implementation of its ambitious Kindergarten + 12 basic education curriculum (BEC) plan that will add a mandatory kindergarten and an additional two years of senior high school level before college. 

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said the commitment was made to him and other education officials such as Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairperson Dr. Patricia Licuanan and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) deputy director general Teddy Pascual, in a visit to the said country organized by the Australian Agency for International Development (AuSAID) last week.

Luistro said that aside from some financial assistance, Australian education officials will help DepEd curriculum experts drawing up the enhanced elementary and high school, and the proposed two-year senior high school curricula, that will be laid out by 2016. 

“Their assistance especially with the curriculum will be a big help since they have a 12-year BEC,” Luistro said. The K+12 BEC program will result to the current 10-year BEC path with only six years of elementary and four years of high school becoming a 12-year basic path mainly as a result of the two-year senior high school.

DepEd said the K+12 BEC program will be designed to adjust and meet the fast-changing demands of society by providing graduates with essential skills for the world of work, college education or for the global arena. DepEd, under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III, is bent on adding two years in the BEC, seeing it as a vital reform measure that will solve deficiencies in the competencies in the core subjects of English, Math and Science among majority of Filipino high school graduates, as well as to gain recognition of Filipino professionals among employers abroad.

The Philippines is one of the only two countries in the world that has a 10-year BEC, along with fellow third-world country, Myanmar.

By Rainier Allan Ronda (The Philippine Star) 
November 03, 2011

LCC, PIA rev up for radio program on literacy

by Elaine O. Ratunil

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Dec 14 (PIA) –- The Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC), in partnership with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), will launch “Literasi Para sa Kaunlaran,” radio program tomorrow, December 15, 2011.

LCC’s chairperson Rizalino D. Rivera, who is also Department of Education’s undersecretary, said the radio program on literacy aims to promote the thrusts and programs of Republic Act 10122 otherwise known as “An Act Strengthening the Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC) by Amending RA 7165,” also, known as “An Act Creating the LCC, Defining its Powers and Functions, Appropriating Funds, therefore and for Other Purposes.”

Further, Usec. Rizalino said the “Literasi Para sa Kaunlaran” intends to intensify advocacy and social mobilization promoting literacy endeavors of LCC through radio broadcast in remote areas of the country where literacy rate is at its lowest.

 

Dr. Norma Salcedo of the Department of Education (DepEd), head of the LCC Secretariat, on the other hand, said through the program, the LCC hopes to convince the parents in these areas by showing them the importance of sending their children to school or to non-formal schools for out of school children. They also aim to encourage out of school youths (OSY) and indigenous people to avail of non-formal schools, placements and assessment programs.

The radio program hopes to promote the policy thrusts, directions and programs initiated by the LCC; and to underscore the importance of functional literacy in the empowerment of people and in poverty and hunger mitigation efforts, Salcedo said. The once a week radio segment will be aired live over a local radio station here in the city, every Sunday, 7:00-8:00 p.m. starting December 18.

There will be a delayed telecast over PARASAT Cable TV 29 on Saturdays, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

It will also have delayed telecast over various cable stations in the five provinces of Northern Mindanao: Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental and including Marawi city. (PIA-10)

LCC, PIA rev up for radio program on literacy

by Elaine O. Ratunil

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Dec 14 (PIA) –- The Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC), in partnership with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), will launch “Literasi Para sa Kaunlaran,” radio program tomorrow, December 15, 2011.

LCC’s chairperson Rizalino D. Rivera, who is also Department of Education’s undersecretary, said the radio program on literacy aims to promote the thrusts and programs of Republic Act 10122 otherwise known as “An Act Strengthening the Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC) by Amending RA 7165,” also, known as “An Act Creating the LCC, Defining its Powers and Functions, Appropriating Funds, therefore and for Other Purposes.”

Further, Usec. Rizalino said the “Literasi Para sa Kaunlaran” intends to intensify advocacy and social mobilization promoting literacy endeavors of LCC through radio broadcast in remote areas of the country where literacy rate is at its lowest.

 

Dr. Norma Salcedo of the Department of Education (DepEd), head of the LCC Secretariat, on the other hand, said through the program, the LCC hopes to convince the parents in these areas by showing them the importance of sending their children to school or to non-formal schools for out of school children. They also aim to encourage out of school youths (OSY) and indigenous people to avail of non-formal schools, placements and assessment programs.

The radio program hopes to promote the policy thrusts, directions and programs initiated by the LCC; and to underscore the importance of functional literacy in the empowerment of people and in poverty and hunger mitigation efforts, Salcedo said. The once a week radio segment will be aired live over a local radio station here in the city, every Sunday, 7:00-8:00 p.m. starting December 18.

There will be a delayed telecast over PARASAT Cable TV 29 on Saturdays, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

It will also have delayed telecast over various cable stations in the five provinces of Northern Mindanao: Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental and including Marawi city. (PIA-10)

DepEd declares Nov as Reading Month

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) is bracing to undertake activities in line with the declaration of November as National Reading Month, and the setting of November 25 as the “Araw ng Pagbasa”.

Education Secretary Armin Luisto said the move was in support of the ten-point education agenda of the Aquino Administration and the promotion of Every Child a Reader Program (ECARP).

“We are coming up with more creative ways of developing the love for reading among our young because this is an important portal to the world of learning,” said Luistro.

The education department has listed down a series of activities to celebrate the month as stipulated in DepEd Order 244 which includes the conduct of a “Read-A-Thon” to foster a reading culture among pupils and launch a search for the best individual and team readers from students in public schools.

 

Also being promoted is the Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) project, a 15- to 20-minute daily activity devoted to reading a book or any reading materials available in the school. There is also the Shared Reading project (Big Brother or Sister/Kaklase Ko, Sagot Ko), an activity wherein older students or independent readers teach pupils who are at the frustration reading or non-reading level.

Luistro also proposes as one of the activities the Intensified Remedial Reading where teachers or class advisers give remedial lessons to children in the frustration reading level.

Meanwhile, the Five Words A Week (FWAW)/A Paragraph A Day (APAD) encourages pupils to learn and master one word a day for five days a week and to read aloud one or two short paragraphs a day before classes start to develop the students’ oral communication skills. DepEd also suggests the holding of a Reading Camp where children are provided a venue where their talents in communication arts can be highlighted through competitions.

To highlight the Reading Month, Luistro directed all regional, division and school level officials to lead the nationwide synchronized reading program every first Monday of November from 9 to 10 in the morning.

In a related development, DepEd will conduct the nationwide Araw ng Pagbasa on Nov. 25 to coincide with the week of the celebration of the birth anniversary of the late Senator Benigno ‘Ninoy” Aquino on November 27. The event also commemorates the 20th year of the signing of RA 7165 by former President Corazon Aquino which created the Literacy Coordinating Council on Nov. 25, 1991.

“By giving importance to the Araw ng Pagbasa, we are promoting reading and literacy among our learners even as we motivate them to learn from the lives and works of eminent Filipinos,” explained Luistro.
In pursuit of this, school officials are encouraged to conduct reading and literacy activities in honor of Ninoy Aquino. Schools are likewise asked to partner with non-government organizations and the private sector to foster cooperation in the community.

By Rainier Allan Ronda (The Philippine Star) 
November 10, 2011 

Majority of Phl’s ’30 illiterate barangays’ are in South

Seventeen, or majority, of the Philippines’ “30 illiterate barangays” are located in Mindanao, with nine of them ranked in the “Top 10”.

The Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC) of the Department of Education (DepEd) describes “illiteracy” as a situation where not a few inhabitants of a village have little knowledge in the basic literacy skills of reading, ’riting and ’rithmetic or numeracy (often called the Three Rs).

The LCC largely attributes this problem to the far distance of many barangays or sitios, usually located in mountains or islands, from existing public elementary schools which require local school-age children and young adults to travel several hours to reach the learning center and return home.

Consequently, these youngsters grow up to become “no-read-no-write” like their parents, the LCC noted.

A DepEd report received here recently said the agency got its statistical data from the “Literacy Mapping” of the total number of barangays in 5th and 6th class municipalities released late last year by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The data revealed that three villages in Salay town, Misamis Oriental, placed 1-2-3 in the list of 30 barangays. They are barangay Matampa which recorded the lowest basic literacy rate (BLR) of 30.4 percent followed by Alipuaton, 32.9 percent, and Bunal, 44.8 percent.

The Zamboanga del Sur barangays of Nangan-Nangan and Mate, both in Tigbao town, registered a BLR of 55.2 percent and 65.6 percent to emerge fourth and eighth, respectively.

Three Lanao del Norte (LdN) villages are also in the Top 10, namely, Pandalonan in Munai town with a BLR of 56.3 percent, fifth; Dansalan in Sapad, 65.1 percent, seventh, and Bubonga Rapadan also in Munai, 72.3 percent, 10th. Other LdN barangays in the list of 30 are Cabasagan with 73 percent and ranked 11th, and nearby Natangcopan, 75.6 percent and emerged 14th , both in Pantao Ratao town while the province’s barangays of Old Poblacion (82.6 percent) in Munai and Bangcal (85.7 percent) in Pantar placed 23rd and 28th, respectively.

The data showed that La Union’s village of Cardiz in Bagulin town got a BLR of 64.3 percent to land sixth in the Top 10. Misamis Occidental’s barangay Dioyo in Sapang Dalaga placed ninth with a BLR of 72 percent, while the town’s village of Ventura came out 22nd with a BLR of 82.4 percent, even as barangay Manalad in the adjacent municipality of Calamba got 86.3 percent to place 29th.

Two Surigao del Norte barangays — Sto. Rosario (83.3 percent) in Bacuag town and Poblacion Uno (83.0 percent) — ranked 25th and 26th, respectively.

Completing the Top 30 villages with low literacy rates are Dananao in Tinglayan town, Kalinga, which placed 12th; Estrella, San Guillermo, Isabela, 13th; Nanungaran, Rizal, Cagayan, 15th; Progreso, San Guillermo, Isabela, 16th; Marapilit, Zummaraga, Samar, 17th; Dao-angan, Boliney Abra, 18th; Paroyhog, Sta. Maria, Romblon, 19th; Bekigan, Sadangan, Mt. Province, 20th; San Miguel, Maslog, Eastern Samar, 21st; Canlasog, Larena, Siquijor, 24th; Bunacan, San Julian, Eastern Samar, 27th and Malijao, Dimiao, Bohol, 30th.

By J. Antonio Rimando (The Philippine Star) 
January 05, 2012