DAVAO CITY -- Educators of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Continuing Education Program from Zamboanga del Sur will establish their own mushroom production site in the 2nd quarter of 2020, an official said on Saturday.
Leah E. Ramirez, education program specialist in curriculum implementation division-ALS of the Division of Zamboanga del Sur, told the Philippine News Agency that the said plan came after the ALS Cluster 5 team agreed in a meeting to venture in mushroom production.
On Friday, their team which was headed by Acmad A. Dadtum, district ALS coordinator of Dinas and Dimataling district ALS coordinator Judith T. Datanagan went to the Department of Agriculture in Region 11 (DA-11)-Davao Region Central Experiment Station (DARCES) in this city for the mushroom production training.
She said they have chosen DA-11 as a pilot training area because it has established mushroom programs and has various market linkages.
“The recipients of this program will be the Alternative Learning System Continuing Education Program: Accreditation and Equivalency Test learners of the Municipality of San Pablo, Dinas, Damataling, Pitogo and Tabina in Zamboanga del Sur,” Ramirez said.
She also confirmed that their team will train more or less 1,350 learners in the said districts.
“We have seen the potential of mushroom cultivation in our schools. It will also be an alternative source of income for our students,” Ramirez said, adding that it is a good livelihood program since all the materials needed were available.
Acmad said mushroom production will be viable in Dinas, Zamboanga del Sur since their students are living in far-flung areas.
“As of now we do not have the site yet but this will be a good livelihood in the area,” he said.
He added that they will start rolling out the trainings to their junior high school students as well as the basic literacy program learners.
“We will soon request a seminar for our learners for them to adopt the technology and would eventually start their mushroom livelihood,” he said. (PNA)