Teacher Rosemarie Abrea and her 2nd grade students at PH MIllona Elementary in Malapatan, Sarangani

KIAMBA, Sarangni (June 3, 2011) – Sarangani Big Brother (SBB), a summer reading program intended for “frustration readers” all over the province, was made successful through volunteer youth and members of the Sangguniang Kabataan.

The program is in partnership with the province’s Quality Education for Sarangani Today (QUEST), Department of Education (DepEd), Synergeia Foundation, Conrado and Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation, Inc., Sagittarius Mines, Inc., and World Vision.

“I was very impressed by the idea,” guest speaker and Davao City Councilor Dr. Bernardo Al-ag said. Al-ag, an optometrist, has been a volunteer for medical and civic activities since the 90s.

“Reading is really important and community participation very crucial. A volunteer has no regression and has full devotion. It improves your character, competence, health, and relationships,” Al-ag said.

Governor Migs Dominguez reported that Sarangani Big Brother Season 4 has taught a total of 7,631 “frustration readers” provincial-wide, with 771 youth volunteers, 175 volunteer provincial-paid teachers and 146 DepEd teachers.

Frustration readers are those who can identify words but have inadequate or no comprehension at all.

“We are the best improved province in the country in terms of education,” Dominguez said. “If all the provinces in the country can do this as well, our nation has a brighter future.”

SBB is a 15-day whole-day remedial reading program designed to assist the Department of Education in improving reading skills among incoming Grade 2 and Grade 3 learners identified as frustration and instructional readers.

Teachers were given one-day training on strategies to ensure their children are better readers after 15 days while the SK volunteers manage the daily sessions and assist the teachers.

SBB aims to reduce the number of non-readers and instructional readers by providing a four-week reading program for at-risk schoolchildren; develop strengthened relationship between schools and their partners in the community; raise awareness in the community that education is a community concern, instill the value of volunteerism among the youth, and develop leadership among youth leaders.

At the culmination program, the sponsors awarded the best implementing school, Kawas Central Elementary School in Alabel town, with P20,000 prize.

“SBB taught me to become someone – to be a builder of this nation. I learned to embrace the beauty of imparting knowledge,” volunteer John Logos Guiang from Maitum town said.

“True, it may not be enough, but I believe we have done something by inspiring them the value of education,” Guiang said.

“If you volunteer, you give service willingly,” volunteer Trent Laurence Galvez from Malungon town said.

Principal of pilot integrated school, Datal Batong Integrated School in the hinterlands of Malungon, Marilyn Falsario said she had four volunteer teachers at the SBB.

“We conducted a pre-test post-test evaluation of our frustration readers and they really improved. They now read much faster and are already independent readers,” Falsario said.

Datal Batong Integrated School pilots all integrated elementary-high schools among the province’s farthest communities designed by the provincial government to minimize dropouts and discontinuing pupils from elementary to high school.

The two-day activity includes a debate and story-telling contest, open space learning, search for Mr. and Ms. SBB 2011 and SBB pop singing quest.

Originally published by Russtum G. Pelima of the Sarangani Public Information Office on June 2, 2011

Maria Teresa Miranda, Human Resources Manager of the Alsons Agribusiness Unit, presents Malapatan Mayor Alfonso Singcoy with the final report of TB LINC, a USAID-funded project of the Alcantara Foundation. TB LINC worked to control tuberculosis through raising awareness and building a community network to support detection and treatment. Malapatan celebrated its annual Pakaradyan Festival and Foundation Anniversary on June 21.

On that day, the Alcantara Group also donated medical materials to control malaria and pledged to plant 1,000 mangrove seedlings. Looking on in the photo is Sarangani Energy Corporation’s Project Assurance Manager Joel Aton and Malapatan municipal officials.

The town of Malapatan is host to Finfish Hatcheries, a member of the Alcantara Group.

Photo by Jean delos Santos

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Governor Migs in his message emphasized the shared responsibility that teachers and parents carry in raising the children of Sarangani. He extended his gratitude to the teachers for their passion, sincerity and sacrifices in making sure that everyone can be proud of the products of the Sarangani education system. He also announced the provision of an additional 250 province-paid teachers to reduce the teacher-student ratio to 1:40, a first in the region.

A successful teacher is not only determined by her achievements on paper, but also the level of success that her students achieve in life. While the achievements of students and successful alumni are often celebrated, we rarely think about the teachers who helped make them the people that they are. World Teachers’ Day reminds us all to celebrate and thank our teachers for their commitment in shaping the lives of young people all over the world.

MALUNGON, Sarangani (July 15, 2009) – The town’s performance and implementation of Quality Education for Sarangani Today (QUEST) project has been gaining more assistance from the private sector.

In his state of education address at the QUEST’s Education Road Show and Summit on July 7, Mayor Reynaldo Constantino lauded private sector-partnership by the local government in uplifting their children’s education.

“However, looking carefully at the school’s unique and difficult situations and circumstances, it’s totally a different story,” Constantino said.

But Governor Migs Dominguez and the provincial government committed to provide an additional 50 provincial-paid teachers “to ensure that education reaches the town’s farthest schools”.

“Our promise is never to leave a single child behind in our quest for education,” Dominguez said.

Cecile Dominguez, executive director of the Alcantara Foundation (AF) said the provincial government together with the AF will provide workbooks for all grade 1 pupils at 1:1 pupil-workbook ratio.

Sagittarius Mines Inc., who provided workbooks for Grade I last year, will now provide workbooks for all Grade II pupils and manuals for teachers.

UnionBank’s “As A Filipno” reading program which began last school year continues its support by giving again workbooks for all Grade II pupils, a story book per section, and lesson plan guide for the teachers.

AF initiated and facilitates linkages for the Education for All (EFA) campaign in Malungon and in the province with partners such as Synergeia Foundation, Union Bank, Sagittarius Mines Inc. and the Department of Education.

The QUEST project is a learning technology from Synergeia Foundation implemented in Sarangani.

The day’s summit conducted plenary workshops for teachers and parents.

“Education starts at home,” Cecile Dominguez said.

Realizing that home is a very important foundation of education, QUEST gives parent mentoring sessions and values formation workshops aside from teachers’ trainings and workbook distributions.

“Let’s not waste time, let us support the government in their programs and let us also support our children towards their future by checking their progress in school,” Grade I parent Lalaine Decenorio said.

(Russtum G. Pelima/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

Pupils show their reading workbooks distributed by QUEST (Quality Education for Sarangani Today) staff and volunteers Thursday, June 25, who crossed a river 23 times and followed mountain trails for two days to reach the school. QUEST aims to provide 1:1 student-workbook ratio for Grade I and 22,663 grade workbooks for 217 primary schools in Sarangani. (Photo by Jomar Jalos)

Anne Eday, QUEST program director, leads staff and volunteers in the distribution of reading workbooks donated by Southern Philippines Power Corporation, Alcantara Foundation, the Provincial Governor’s Office and the Children’s Hour at New Canaan Elementary School Thursday, June 25, after a four-hour walk and several river crossings. (Photo by Mark Cajutol)

Crossing a river for 23 times and trekking mountain trails for two days, these QUEST volunteers and staff enjoy their time before reaching the town’s remotest schools for the distribution of QUEST’s reading workbooks. (Photo by Mark Cajutol)

Pupils show their reading workbooks distributed by QUEST staff and volunteers Thursday June 25. (Mark Cajutol)

Here are some photos from our partner project with National Bookstore and Ayala Foundation, the Buklat Aklat Mobile Library. The mobile library is visiting 6 elementary schools in Malapatan from November of this year to March 2009. The library contains 600 titles, all storybooks by Filipino authors. Most of them are bilingual, in English and Tagalog. The school arranges for all of the sections to visit the library for 45-minute periods.

After the six schools are completed, 100 titles will be donated to each of the 6 participating schools. After 6 months, the school that has developed the best reading program for the donated books will receive a permanent library from National Bookstore.

AF monitors the implementation of the program and also transports the books from one school to another.

The kids write down the titles they have read that day on a small piece of colored paper. They then stick it onto an “Ibong Adarna” poster, as seen in the photos. 

Feedback from the teachers is that the kids are always excited about library time, and hang around after class hoping that they can spend extra time in the library.