ILOILO CITY -- An executive of the Department of Education (DepED) in Western Visayas has underscored the need for livelihood to respond to high cases of dropouts in the region.
“Livelihood is the main concern, if we can address it, it can address the lack of attendance in high school,” said Dr. Victor De Gracia, officer-i- charge at the office of DepEd Assistant Regional Director Western Visayas and concurrent Schools Division Superintendent for Antique.
In a phone interview on Tuesday, de Gracia affirmed the report of the Regional Development Council (RDC) citing financial difficulties as one of the reasons for the high number of dropouts, especially in high school.
He said that they quit school to find jobs to help with their daily needs.
Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao, concurrent RDC chair, in her speech delivered during the second quarter full council meeting of the RDC on June 21 here, said dropout rate for elementary increased by .50 percent and 48.54 percent for the secondary level in 2018.
“Even if education is practically free for all, parents are continuously confronted with daily expenses for fares, "baon" (allowance), food, school projects, among others,” Cadiao said.
Meanwhile, de Gracia said that he introduced in Antique the “Obra Eskwela”, a convergence program where students learn through the Alternative Learning System (ALS) while they work at the same time.
“Our module is very flexible so we can adjust depending on the existing livelihood programs of government agencies,” he said.
He said that DepEd partnered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program. DOLE will pay for the labor and DepEd will prepare the ALS module.
De Gracia said apart from the financial issue, the high dropout rate is also a “trend” in the basic education sector. The rate is smaller for elementary because every barangay has an elementary school. It is higher for secondary schools because the number of schools is only limited.
He added though that the RDC statement citing as “lack of personal interest” as among reasons still need confirmation.
However, this can be addressed by teachers depending on the kinds of skills that they have when they deliver their lessons to make it very interesting.
He added that classroom supervision has to be improved. supervisors, superintendents, and principals should visit the classroom to help improve their teachers' skills to be effective.
Moreover, teachers should also reach out to parents so the latter would be aware of their children's situation and learn how they could support them. (PNA)
