The town of Moises Padilla in Negros Occidental has tapped some 90 volunteers to serve as learning module tutors for elementary and high school students.
The initiative dubbed “Hugpong sa Pagtuon Magallon” means to unite for learning or education. Magallon is the former name of the central Negros municipality.
In a statement on Thursday, Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo said that through the program, the local government hopes to address literacy problems and aid in the learning of students, particularly those in hinterland villages.
These students are those who have no internet access and some whose parents are unable to read and write, she added.
Garcia-Yulo said adults who want to learn how to read and write may also join the program.
On April 19, the volunteers, including day-care workers and licensed teachers, attended an orientation-seminar simultaneously conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd) at the Barangay 1 covered court and Moises Padilla Elementary School.
After which, they were assigned to start the tutorial for identified students.
Data from the DepEd provided by the municipal government showed that Moises Padilla has enrolled 10,653 students for the school year 2020-2021.
These include 7,159 in elementary and 3,494 in high school, all in 23 schools under the DepEd.
Some 807 have been identified as non-readers, of which 161 are from Guinpana-an Elementary School among its 722 pupils.
Non-readers are those who read below grade level and struggles with comprehension, phonics, and vocabulary.
For the current school year, the DepEd is adopting the distance-learning mode amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
It has three learning modalities – modular distance learning, which uses self-learning modules in printed or digital format; online distance learning, which uses the internet in downloading learning materials and uploading homework; and radio/TV-based instruction for learners who have no internet connectivity.
Another option for students is blended learning, which is a mix of online distance learning, modular distance learning, and radio/TV-based instruction.
Photo Source: Facebook/Municipality of Moises Padilla “Birada Hugpong Magallon”