LAGAWE, IFUGAO – – If the multigrade system of education is working well in Pulaan Elementary School in Lagawe, it must also be nearly the same in many other schools in the country. Or so it seems.
A recent case study of this remote public school somehow proves the multigrade system’s worth.
The four-day case study project billed as “Technical Support to Multigrade Program in Philippine Education (TS-MPPE)” was sponsored by the Southeast Asia Ministries of Education Organization of Regional Center for Educational Innovations and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH).
Ifugao Department of Education (DepEd) officer-in-charge (OIC), Schools Division Superintendent Felipe Ballitoc voiced high expectations on increased assistance on the needs of Pulaan Elementary School from the government.
He believes the SEAMEO INNOTECH project may be helpful to upgrade the standards of education in far-flung villages as this one. Pulaan is one of the 20 villages of Lagawe, a fourth-class municipality. It has a high incidence of poverty.
“We thank the SEAMEO INNOTECH for being our partner in this endeavor, as this is part of our efforts to provide worthwhile venues and facilities for learning, both for the pupils and teachers,” Ballitoc said.
“I’m glad our friends from SEAMEO INNOTECH went the extra mile in helping to closely look into the conditions of classrooms as well as learners and their mentors in the said school,” he added.
In an exclusive interview with the ZigZag Weekly, Ballitoc in stressing the importance of education in curbing the poverty problem likened the project to the “bayanihan” spirit of Filipinos who are working together to achieve a common goal thus, “we are glad to be a part of this historic undertaking.”
With the certainty that a case study report shall come out in due time, Ballitoc also reiterated to other entities in the public and private sectors the need to work with the education sector “through more collaboration and partnerships that will successfully build a better Philippines.”
Ballitoc particularly mentioned the business establishments in developed areas of the country, which need to share their blessings through corporate social responsibility.
The multigrade program entails the tedious task of a teacher who handles instructional chores of at least two grade levels in a classroom. It has been adopted in 1920.
Concerned Filipinos have been pushing for political will among the national government and local government units (LGUs) to solve longstanding problems on lack of classrooms and teachers. The response of the officialdom is fairly slow and low.
This early, many in Ifugao are hopeful that the project’s impact shall resonate beyond the interviews with a number of stakeholders at the school and classroom observations of two classes. Rather these activities turn into instruments to mold and transform the young learners of Pulaan Elementary School into productive members of society that they believe is more fulfilling in the long run.
Interviewed were the multigrade supervisor, school head Mae Cecilia Patnaan, parents, teachers, pupils and village folks. About two hours were allotted in observing classroom classes.
SEAMEO INNOTECH, founded in 1970 and long known for its advocacy to advance the cause of education in the Southeast Asian region, showed its readiness to pursue an advanced and holistic approach in addressing problems of the multigrade program. Henceforth, project team members also focused on interacting with barangay government officials, Parents Teachers Association (PTA) officials and elders. It was formulated to be useful in strengthening the program. Information in the everyday lives of the stakeholders is deemed vital.
Bottom line is that they indeed obtained “timely and relevant” at the ground, having found the means to tackle head on problems faced by educators, and allowing government officials to take necessary steps to overcome difficulties at multigrade schools. The point is to view the program as a “top priority”- of policy makers, for them to make up their minds on what to do with multigrade program- to retain or abolish it.
Focus group discussion sessions easily provided a chance for project team members to engage in interactive exchanges with teachers, pupils, parents and village folks. Level of knowledge of grade three to six pupils were given preferential attention. Hence, it is a perfect fit for identifying key concerns and issues later through desk work analysis at the SEAMEO INNOTECH main office in Diliman, Quezon City. On Day 2 of the activity, project team members sought socio-demographic data of Barangay Pulaan. It is an important information tool to determine the village’s profile.
In a serious attempt to get a broader perspective of the school’s multigrade system and operations, administrative concerns were also tackled. Documents were also requested.
A post conference session was aptly eyed by the project team members that would link the activity itself with assessment and action planning sessions. This surely underscores the importance of project outputs as well as assessing the vulnerability and sensitivity of impoverished young learners in such conditions.
Making inputs and outcomes as well as feedbacks from stakeholders work for Pulaan Elementary School is undoubtedly essential. What would SEAMEO INNOTECH project implementers do differently in other schools in the Philippines? Obviously, there is no quick and easy answer to this query. It would be best to adjust to peculiar realities of any locality. In this case, the village has a population of about 400. The main industry is farming. Punong Barangay Michael Patnaan heads the barangay council.
For many multigrade program watchers, especially from the University of the Philippines, the greatest challenge for the officialdom that remains to be addressed is raising the wages of teachers who are assigned in the program.
These hardworking mentors have to prepare at least two lesson plans. There are also different sets of test or examination questions for a third and fourth grader. Projects are not identical. Overworked, it’s an understatement. But wait. They are likewise affected by the recent surge of increase of basic commodities brought about by the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act law. In short, overworked but underpaid teachers are feeling the cushion of the high cost of living.
From a practical standpoint, the national government should seriously attend to the needs of multigrade program teachers.
Even amidst the pronouncements of the government for almost four decades to prioritize the needs and wants of public school teachers, compensation situation is still none the better. A number of lowly-paid teachers have opted to quit their jobs and rather work as domestic workers in Hong Kong or factory workers in Taiwan, where wages are much, much higher. Some others took English language teaching jobs in China.
To further drive home this point, the DepEd still has small budget allocation for construction of classrooms and other school-related facilities. Small wonder, a dilapidated, antiquated classroom in a distant Ifugao village is a familiar sight.
For now, it is important to have a leveling of expectations for all the stakeholders. It is equally vital to provide them with support programs and services to help them improve their lives.
Key participants of the project include multigrade coordinator Jane Dulawan and representatives of DepEd, UNICEF and St. Louis University. SEAMEO INNOTECH’s Emmy Domingo also played a major role in the undertaking. Ms. Leah Servania, also of SEAMEO INNOTECH, served as a contact person. The project got ample support from ERIO manager Philip Purnell. **By Anthony A. Araos
