Almost 1,000 barangays in Region I do not have elementary schools, a research conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd) Regional Office showed.
Conducted by DepEd ROI, the study entitled "Schoolless Barangays," showed that out of 3,267 barangays in the four provinces, 116 municipalities, nine cities, and 989 barangays (30.27 percent) of the region do not have an elementary school.
However, the study noted that 564 barangays have secondary schools.
The study, which was conducted by DepEd ROI Policy, Planning, and Research Division (PPRD), also determined the status of the learners from schoolless barangays in terms of access, efficiency, and quality of education during the pre-pandemic School Year (SY) 2019-2020.
Research team leader and PPRD Chief Education Supervisor Cecilia P. Rosido explained that there are schoolless barangays in Region I -- specifically in far-flung areas --- which make “accessibility of learners to school a paramount concern.”
“With limited access to school, learners go to nearby barangays to enroll but eventually drop due to transportation costs and allowance, while others decide not to go to school anymore,” DepEd said.
Meanwhile, Regional Director Tolentino G. Aquino also encouraged the PPRD to survey schoolless barangays.
Aquino is planning interventions to provide the school-aged children with more comprehensive access and better delivery of enhanced complete basic education in these barangays.
The provision of the DepEd Order highlighted that there should be at least one elementary school for every barangay and at least one high school for every municipality or city.
DepEd noted that with 1,291,071 enrollees in the Region, a total of 60,984 came from schoolless barangays.
Completion of SY decreases
The DepEd research revealed that students outside the “catchment area” --- or those within a two-kilometer radius and one-kilometer radius from a public school in rural and urban areas --- had “more absences” than those who traveled nearer.
“Hence, the completion of the school year decreases,” DepEd said.
Citing the study, DepEd also noted that those “walking have lower grades than those who traveled using their service and private vehicle and those who availed public transportation.”
Adoption of alternative delivery modes
Related to this, the research recommended the adoption of alternative delivery modes of learning that may increase the participation rate.
These include strengthening collaboration with community officials, non-government organizations, and other stakeholders.
DepEd said that the possibility of establishing new schools in the barangays without schools is also considered.
Hoping to achieve more comprehensive access to enhanced basic education, the research study was already disseminated to 14 schools division offices (SDOs) in the region.
DepEd said that this undertaking will guide the top management in decision-making processes on the Region's passion of establishing schools in the different barangays, as provided by the DepEd Order titled Revised Guidelines on the Establishment, Merging, Conversion, and Naming/Renaming of Public Schools, and Separation of Public-School Annexes in Basic Education.