In early March, Synergeia met with the Iloilo Mayors and DepEd District Supervisors on their plans to conduct remedial reading programs for the summer.  Among those municipalities in attendance was Dumangas.  Back to home base, Mayor Ronaldo Golez of Dumangas immediately convened the Local School Board to plan a summer reading activity for the municipality’s struggling readers.  The Mayor’s initiative was prompted by the support of the provincial government in the form of workbooks and other instructional material.

In preparation for the program, the two district supervisors of Dumangas, with the help of their reading experts, did a school-to-school assessment of the reading capabilities of the pupils using the Test of Word Analysis (TWA).  They found out that in both districts, there are some 1,506 struggling readers.  After planning, and with no time to lose, Dumangas under the supervision of DepEd District Supervisor Dr. Zaldy Quilantang launched the Reading by Group (RBG) program as a component of the Organized Numeracy and Literacy Program of the Mayor.

Under the RBG, 20 literacy volunteers funded by the Local School Board will be deployed this summer to handle remedial reading in all the 31 schools of Dumangas.  These teachers will be under the supervision of identified reading experts. Each of the volunteers will be assigned to struggling pupils.  For 45 days, the volunteers will handle two classes in their assigned areas.  They will be supervised and monitored by the reading experts.  All parent leaders from every school have been tapped to assist the program.  A workshop with literacy workers, reading experts, and parents has been conducted.

The Mayor emphasized the importance of education as a poverty alleviation strategy.  Seeing the data on reading difficulties of the students from Dumangas 1 and 2 was disturbing and gave him personal resolve to address the issue before it gets any worse.  He said he draws inspiration from the work of Synergeia and EdGE with its local partners in Iloilo.  It is inspiring that the local officials, educators, parents and the community have signed a Pledge of Commitment in support of the summer reading program.

What a mover Siayan Mayor Flora Villarosa is!  With the support of EdGE, Mayor Villarosa invited all the Mayors and Local School Boards of Zamboanga del Norte to a regional meeting in Dipolog City to share best practices in education governance and and to cohort more education champions in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

 

 

The local chief executives were presented with data on the status of education in their localities, which was followed by a discussion on possible causes for the poor performance of students.  A “shock and awe” approach was needed to make the LCEs and LSBs realize that improving the quality of education is a shared responsibility.  As leaders in the community, they have a huge role in setting education priorities.  But their leadership and support are also necessary so that the entire community can be mobilized to work for solutions to problems impeding the growth of education.

 

 

When asked to prioritize their concerns, poverty alleviation was their most frequent response. Education did not seem to figure out among their LGUs’ top priorities.  To this, Ma’am Nene Guevara, Synergeia CEO, shared the result of studies that showed poverty has become intergenerational because children from poor families are unable to study or complete elementary or high school.  Giving children access to education gives them and their families opportunities for a better life.   This was an eye-opener for the Mayors and LSB members.

 

 

The regional meeting also gave the Mayors the opportunity to listen to and be inspired by Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian and his successful 360 Degree Education Program of Valenzuela City.  Mayor Rex presented the components and results of the Valenzuela program, a flagship education initiative which EdGE supports.  Mayor Rex was a perfect example to the Mayors of a local chief executive who takes the driver’s seat in education in partnership with DepEd and other community stakeholders.

 

 

They were also fortunate to listen to Former Governor Josie dela Cruz, currently Synergeia mentor, sharing the education story of Bulacan back when she was still its governor.  Bulacan’s education program, among the pioneers under the Synergeia wing, was also a success story.

 

 

At the end of the day, the Mayors gave their full commitment to prioritize education and undertake follow-up activities like conducting their own education summits to identify education gaps and proposed solutions, and re-inventing and expanding their Local School Boards.  It was indeed a good day for education governance.

Travelling back to Marawi City last February 20 for a consultation on education priorities was a bittersweet homecoming for the Synergeia family.  Marawi City ran several education programs with Synergeia in 2004 to 2010.  This time, however, it was sad to see canvas tents serving as makeshift classrooms on some empty lots and in the middle of what used to be playgrounds of schools outside ground zero.  Despite the destruction and displacement of war, community is resilient, looks forward to the rehabilitation efforts and is brimming with hope that they can rise again.

School principals, city officials, barangay representatives, DepEd officials and civil society representatives gathered for the day’s activity.  It is important that the education priorities of Marawi should be set by the school principals and local officials themselves.    City Administrator Sultan Khamid Gandamra, Councilor Nasif Marangit who is the Chairman of the Committee on Education, and DepEd Superintendent Pharida Sansarona emphasized the importance of prioritizing education.  Councilor Marangit could not have said it more truthfully that one of the most affected by the war is education of the children of Marawi.

The construction or repair of school buildings has been identified as a top priority.  The principals stressed that children cannot go back to school if the classrooms are not rebuilt. Classrooms have to be conducive for both learning and teaching.  The principals identified the importance of health and sanitation facilities such as improved water systems, hand-washing areas, and comfort rooms for the learners.

In terms of soft infrastructure, the participants identified training on the use of technology in learning, training on management of schools, and values and peace education as their top three priorities. The educators stressed the importance of making learning fun and creative.  They hope that programs on sports, arts, and crafts  can be built into the program..

The consultation workshop was truly productive and the real work on Marawi’s education priorities is just beginning.  The Founding Chair of Synergeia, Father Ben Nebres, said it best when he said, “It is now the time to look at the long-term future…which is education of our children.”