Open high school for underprivileged students

Classes opened last Monday with a myriad of problems. For that occasion, we invited to the Kapihan sa Manila at the Diamond Hotel Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla of the lone district of Bacoor, Cavite, who has filed House Bill 6086 that would establish an open high school system (OHSS) for underprivileged students, working students, as well as out-of-school adults particularly in far-flung areas. Representative Revilla, the movie actress and wife of Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla, explained the details of her proposal. (The other guest was Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.)

The OHSS encourages self-learning and provides an alternative quality educational system to these students through print, television, radio and computer-based communications, satellite broadcasting and teleconferencing and other multi-media learning and teaching technologies that allow them to learn at their own pace and time without having to attend conventional classrooms.

This is how it works: Working students, students who help in the farm, disabled children and adults, and those who live in remote areas will be provided study modules which they can take home and from which they will learn their lessons. They don’t have to go to regular school but they can go periodically to a mother high school where there are teachers for consultations, instructions, and evaluation of each student’s progress. The teachers will keep records of each student. There will also be teachers who will serve as guidance counselors, teachers with specialized skills in industrial subjects such as furniture-making, handicraft, auto mechanics, tailoring and the like, as well as advisers of a club in the community who will help learners harmonize study, community service and leisure.

The learners will be allowed to proceed at their own pace but there will be examinations to determine if each student can be promoted to the next level.

The system will allow students who otherwise cannot go to a regular high school because they are working, are disabled, or live very far from a regular high school, to learn, finish high school and go to college. Thus, the students can continue working and study at their leisure, save time going to and from the school, and save on transportation money. It is also open to adults who want to finish high school.

The OHSS will be supervised and administered by the Department of Education in coordination with the University of the Philippines, which already provides an open educational system, as well as the Department of Interior and Local Government for coordination with local government units.

The House of Representatives approved the bill on third and final reading last May 30.

“Although the state has established a system of free public education in the high school level, many underprivileged students, working students, disabled and out-of-school adults, particularly in far-flung areas, are unable to avail themselves of this right because of their geographic location, physical condition as well as economic circumstances,” Representative Revilla said.

The OHSS encourages self-learning, she said, adding:

“I understand that the Department of Education began implementing an open high school program in 1998 as one of the alternative schemes under the Drop-Out Reduction Program of the [DepEd].

“At present there are now 30 schools all over the country that are offering the open high school program. Given this development, I believe it is high time that we institutionalized the open high school in the Philippines as an alternative learning system. For this will liberate the Filipino youth from the chains of ignorance and poverty.

“This is one of my pet bills, which I filed during my first day in office. I am glad that members of the House of Representatives share my quest to make education accessible to all Filipinos because education is not only the great equalizer but also the most powerful weapon that we can use to make the world a better place.”

Meanwhile, Senator Pimentel seems to have softened his stand against former Sen. Migs Zubiri as a senatorial candidate in the UNA ticket. UNA is a coalition between PDP-Laban, of which Pimentel is the president, and the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino of ex-President Joseph Estrada.

“I am personally against his inclusion, but if the party decides to include him…” Pimentel said, leaving the sentence hanging.

Pimentel and Zubiri were bitter rivals for the last spot in the last senatorial race. Zubiri was proclaimed winner but Pimentel filed an election protest. After serving more than half of the term, Zubiri resigned and left the last Senate slot to Pimentel.

For the 2013 elections, Zubiri tried to join PDP-Laban and be one of its senatorial candidates, but his rival, Pimentel, opposed it. Zubiri then joined Erap’s PMP and was named one of its senatorial candidates. PMP has coalesced with PDP-Laban to form UNA. So if Zubiri is a PMP candidate, how can its partner, PDP-Laban, reject him?

But it would be a difficult situation indeed when the two bitter rivals have to campaign on the same stage. Of course, the party can remedy that by putting them in different teams when campaigning.