EDITORIAL
Last Miles Schools: Building hope to reverse learning crisis
Central Visayas is one of the four regions identified as target areas for the government’s Last Mile Schools (LMS) Program. LMS is a program that addresses the gaps in resources and facilities of schools that are located in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs).
Although the learners from Central Visayas performed better than most students from other regions in the country in the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and garnered 2nd highest score in Reading and Literacy and in Scientific Literacy and 4th in Mathematical Literacy, the country’s overall performance in those areas tested under the PISA revealed that the Philippines ranked last of the 77 countries that participated in this subject assessment.
In the Central Visayas Regional Development Plan 2023-2028 published by NEDA, it is pointed out that access to basic education in Central Visayas continues to be limited as the region grapples with lack of and unequal distribution of schools. There are 111 areas in the region, 63 of which are in Bohol and 48 are in Cebu, which are identified as GIDAs. In general, schools in GIDA are faced with scarcity of classrooms and teaching personnel.
Under the RDP, access to education will be expanded by ensuring equitable and timely provision of education facilities and ensuring resolution of project implementation issues, especially for school buildings located in remote areas. Despite the prioritization of the infrastructure projects under the LMS Program, it was noted that only 1 of the 16 recipient schools in Central Visayas was completed as of January 2023. This only shows the need for timely and efficient implementation of the projects in these areas.
An eight-year-old student in one of the areas under the LMS Program was reported to have shown his excitement upon seeing the new school building in their village. The new facility inspired the said student to attend his classes every day. This shows that a school building becomes a symbol of hope to reverse the declining trend of education in the country.
By building more classrooms, more and more students will be motivated to go to school. With new classrooms as beacon of hope, we can cross out at least one of the contributing factors to the declining quality of education and focus on other factors that are difficult to solve.