MANILA – The Department of Education (DepEd) recognized the efforts of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for its continuous support to the national education agenda, during the 2022 Partners Appreciation ceremony at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City Tuesday.
“We are humbled by the recognition from our DepEd Secretary, Vice President Sara Z. Duterte,” BJMP chief Jail Director Allan Iral said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We will remain committed to the national agenda on improving the delivery of basic education to Filipinos by ensuring that those qualified persons deprived of liberty (PDL) are enrolled to the Alternative Learning System Program (ALS) in jails,” he added.
Provision of basic education and employable skills is included in the priority programs of the BJMP.
This year, a total of 18,708 PDLs benefitted from the ALS program of the BJMP through the “Tagapangalaga Ko, Guro Ko” Program.
As of November, the program has produced 2, 499 PDL graduates in elementary; 3, 414 in junior high school and 2, 395 in senior high school.
Meanwhile, the College Behind Bars program, the tertiary education counterpart of the ALS in jails, has produced six college graduates among PDLs in Davao City Jail, with 84 PDLs currently enrolled in the program.
The BJMP is also a constant support agency of the DepEd, during the annual “Brigada Eskwela,” wherein jail personnel are being mobilized to help in school repairs, clean-up activities, and other preparations for the resumption of classes nationwide.
Local schools and students are also constant beneficiaries of BJMP initiatives on community support and education. (PNA)
