PHNO-HL: OPENING OF CLASSES ORDERLY, OVERCROWDED / FARM AND SCHOOL MERGED

OPENING OF CLASSES ORDERLY, OVERCROWDED / FARM AND
SCHOOL MERGED

[PHOTO FROM MANILA BULLETIN- FIRST-DAY BLUES : Frightened
perhaps by the strange surroundings, two pupils are in tears outside their
classroom at the President Corazon C. Aquino Elementary School in Quezon City.
More than 21 million students started attending classes on Monday. (KJ Rosales)]
MANILA, JUNE 5, 2012 (PHILSTAR) By Dennis Carcamo - Compared to
previous years, the opening of classes on Monday is orderly but the Department
of Education concedes that the problem of overcrowding, among others, remains.

The DepED said it has almost met all the requirements to ensure that Filipino
students get better education this school year.
Assistant Secretary Teresito Umali said the DepEd has already provided the
needs of public schools nationwide.
"Wala naman po tayong naging masyadong problema dahil halos [lahat] ito ay
natugunan na natin," Umali said in a radio interview.
The DepEd official said the usual concerns of the parents are still the
collection of school fees and the transfer of their students from private
schools to public schools.
Besides textbooks, Umali said the department has already addressed the lack
of armchairs in schools.
However, Umali said some schools still need more classrooms to alleviate
overcrowding owing to the huge turn out of students on the first day of school
on Monday.
Umali cited the case of Ilugin Elementary School in Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City,
which was visited by Education Secretary Armin Monday morning.
During his visit, Luistro observed that cramped classrooms have forced school
administrators to adopt three shifts instead of two to accommodate the more than
3,000 students.
As this developed, school principal Emelita Medina said they hope to
decongest the classrooms with the construction of new classrooms by the end of
June.
To date, the classroom to student ratio at Ilugin Elementary School is at
1:50.
On Monday, the DepED estimated that around 21 million public elementary and
secondary school students trooped to various schools in the country.
More teachers
To further address the lack of tutors in public schools, the DedEd is also
set to hire an additional 3,000 elementary teachers this year.
"Maghahire tayo ng elementary teachers na pwedeng magturo sa kindergarten,"
Luistro said.
There are about 1.8 million pupils enrolled in kindergarten with only 30,000
teachers holding classes twice daily, Luistro added.
He said the ideal class size for kindergarten is one teacher to 25 pupils.

At present, there are only 3,700 regular kindergarten teachers.
"Iyong kakulangan na 23,000 ay bababa na kasi iyong ibang grade 1 teachers ay
magtuturo na din sa kindergarten," Luistro said.
FROM MANILA BULLETIN
School Merges Farm And Classroom By INA
HERNANDO-MALIPOT June 3, 2012, 2:56am

[PHOTO - Victoriano de Costa Elementary School's students. Farmers in
their 'fields'. Photo by David Hagerman]
It's a school where a student spends equal time in the classroom and the
farm.
The Family Farm/Rural Schools (FFS/FRS) concept has been around for quite a
while, but with little fanfare it has helped changed the lives of rural youths
and their families.
Impressed by the success of FFS/FRS, the Department of Education (DepEd) is
considering weaving the K to 12 Basic Education Program into their curriculum.

At the 1st National Summit of the FFS/FRS in the Philippines in Pasig City,
DepEd Undersecretary for Programs and Projects Undersecretary Yolanda Quijano
said the schools could be good models in the implementation of Senior High
School (SHS) component of K to 12, "particularly in the specializations that
lead to addressing local needs such as agriculture and fisheries."
The SHS, to be launched in schoolyear 2016-2017, gives the student a choice
of academic, technical-vocational and sports and arts specializations.
According to Philippine Federation of Family Farm/Rural Schools, Inc.
(Philfeffars) Vice President Jose San Juan, the summit was organized precisely
to raise awareness about the family farm/rural schools.
"Although we've been here for a quite some time, not so many people know that
this kind of special school exists," San Juan said.
San Juan, who is also president of the Dagatan Family Farm School, Inc. in
Lipa City, Batangas, said that FFS and FRS are basically "private special
schools," since their funding comes from the tuition paid by the students.
The schools are accredited and recognized by the DepEd as "special secondary
agriculture schools" since they merge DepEd's high school curriculum
requirements, and Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA)
for post-secondary schools with their unique curriculum.
There are also FFS/FRS that cater to out-of-school youths and are funded by
donors and sponsors.
"FFS/FRS is a school which is an association of families, professionals, and
institutions that assume responsibility of development and promotion of the
rural environment through integral educative actions, especially with the youth,
as a way of responding to common problems," San Juan said.
How do FFS/FRS differ from the traditional school? "Unlike in traditional
schools that focus on academics required for higher education, we are more on
developing integral formation which includes skills, values and basic education
with the involvement of their families with the end goal inclined towards rural
development," San Juan said.
The method of teaching in FFS/FRS is based on the "four pillars": Integral
Formation; Rural Development; "Alternancia" (use of alternating cycle) and
Responsible Associations.
"The FFS/FRS has a unique, community demand-based curriculum that emphasizes
farm or enterprise creation or improvement, entrepreneurship and skills
acquisition," he said.
The teaching method is largely based on Alternancia, a system where learners
spend time "in-school" learning subjects needed for future employment and a time
"off-school" in farms or enterprises where they have practical learning and
small earnings which they bring back to school.
San Juan said the FFS/FRS educational system caters to students aged 15 to 30
especially those who do not like traditional school or those that are
out-of-school. "Before, only select students who are usually sons and daughters
of farmers are accepted but the FFS/FRS have changed their policy and began to
accept anyone as long as they come from the rural areas and pass the entrance
exams," he said.
Quijano said there is a possibility they could offer the Grades 11 and 12 or
Senior High School (SHS).
"I am impressed with the method of teaching being used in these schools,"
Quijano said. "I believe that the thrusts of our FFS/FRS are also in line with
the implementation of the K to 12's SHS which is geared to producing globally
competitive learners."
Describing the FFS/FRS as "newly-formed special schools," Quijano formally
opened the doors of DepEd to FFS/FRS to help them prepare for the K to 12
program. "We encourage you to write to us how DepEd could support you in the
implementation and transition to the new curriculum," she said.
Quijano explained the K to 12 program to the representatives of the country's
FFS/FRS attending the summit.
She lauded the FFS/FRS for its unique method of teaching, which she said
falls under one of the imperatives of the K to 12: expanding job opportunities.

"With the use of the unique curriculum of FFS/FRS, they can reduce
jobs-skills mismatch and provide better preparation for higher learning,"
Quijano said.
For Alberto Maramot, teaching in a FFS/FRS is his way of giving back. An
alumnus of Dagatan Family Farm School, he took up Secondary Education, major in
English, and is now an Academic Head (Principal) and a teacher or what they call
"tutor" to the students.
"It's rewarding to know that you can give back to the institution that has
helped you even if the salary is relatively lower than that in public schools,"
he said.
Contrary to the public perception that special agriculture schools such as
FFS/FRS have a less hectic schedule, Maramot said teaching in FFS/FRS is "very
challenging because we focus not just on academics but on the overall formation
of the student which involve moral and spiritual growth."
Maramot said one unique characteristic of the FFS/FRS is the "Paksa" or a
thematic approach to learning.
"These are sets of topics that our students study every cycle which include
family visits and professional get-togethers wherein the topics are identified
together with the parents," he said.
The students are also required to submit a "Family Enterprise Journal" which
is a kind of project proposal on what business or enterprise they want to
pursue.
"With this kind of training our students are prepared to face the real world
in terms of work attitude since they are already trained to handle problems that
they can encounter while running their own enterprise," Maramot said.
The Philfeffars said one of the major challenges that FFS/FRS faces is
financial problems. There are only 12 FFS/FRS nationwide, and the group hopes to
draw more support not only from the local governments but from the national
government as well.
The group is looking forward to the passage of House Bill 6050 which
institutionalizes rural farm schools as an alternative delivery mode of
secondary education.



Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

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