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Poverty affects literacy — DepEd

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet (June 21) — Poverty, distance of residence from school and the teacher factor are among the top reasons for the incidence of school dropouts among elementary and high school aged-children.

Regional officials of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Bureau of Alternative Learning Systems (ALS) told the media in the weekly Kapihan sa Benguet that most of those who leave school belong to the poorest of the poor whose families could not even afford to buy even a piece of pencil and writing pad.

“These children do not have enough clothes for school,” Dr. Gloria Felipe, Education Supervisor II of the DepEd’s ALS. She said it is very expensive to go to formal schools.

“In the non-formal education classes, there are no contributions, the notebooks may not be required and learners may acquire knowledge in their own neighborhood, thus they do not need transportation money,” Felipe compares.

Dr. Cornelio Carta, also of ALS, said that pupils should go to a school within the neighborhood. However, he said, it is evident in the Cordillera that the farther the places from school facilities, the higher the illiteracy rate. He cites some far-flung areas as Kibungan and Bakun in Benguet where the most number of dropouts or school-leavers were noted. In other provinces, these are noted in Tinglayan, Kalinga, Tinoc, Ifugao; Sadanga, Mountain Province; Kalanasan, Apayao; and Tineg in Abra.

The National Statistics Office (NSO) Survey on Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media in 2003 found that basic literacy rate of the Cordillera was 91.6%, slightly lower than the national literacy rate of 93.4%. The same study noted that the functional literacy rate in the same year was 85.4%, slightly higher than the national functional literacy rate at 84.1%.

Carta illustrates that among the Cordillera provinces, Ifugao registered the lowest basic literacy rate at 89.18%, with Abra capping the highest at 97.43%. Baguio City registered a literacy rate of 98.4%. Access to the different educational facilities and media, he said, directly affects

Basic literacy, the ALS officials clarify, is the ability to read and write without comprehension. Functional literacy, on the other hand is the capacity to understand what is read and written and the ability to apply the concepts.

The teacher factor may also be one reason that the ALS tries to do away with the pedagogical teaching methods and shift to andagogical methods. Carta said, ALS would not teach what the students do not like.

There are 30 modules ranging from the easiest to the most difficult subjects. Each of the modules ensures the use of indigenous literacy materials and the use of the indigenous languages Felipe said. She added that local mobile teachers have P5,000 a year for reproduction of teaching aids.

Aside from the three major reasons for dropouts, irregular attendance and being ashamed to go to school may be traced to the incidence of poverty, Felipe said.

“They do not go to school if they do not have notebooks, or could not fulfill the requirements of day’s class,” he quips.

Felipe also included that some indigenous peoples in the Marag Valley did not go to school because of the armed conflict. She informed the media that there are enrollees in the adult education who are rebel returnees.

ALS envisions increasing the literacy rate by 2% per year by implementing its programs in the provinces. Recently, there are mobile teachers assigned to various divisions of schools to look after the education needs of dropouts and school-leavers in both the elementary and high school levels. It also caters to the out-of-school adults. # Lyn V. Ramo for NORDIS

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