ILOILO CITY – An elderly couple graduated from elementary thru the Alternative Learning System of the Department of Education in Alimodian, Iloilo.
“Mabuhay kayo, Tatay Arsenio at Nanay Monica! Kayo ang patunay na hindi hadlang ang edad upang makapagtapos sa pag-aaral basta mapursigi at may dedikasyon (Long live Tatay Arsenio and Nanay Monica! Age doesn’t matter in the pursuit of education as long as you persevere and dedicated),” said Pavia Councilor JP Peñol in a Facebook post.
Arsenio Florentino, 87, and his wife Monica, 78, were the oldest among the batch of ALS graduates who are mostly out-of-school-youths and other informal workers who never finished basic education.
“Access to free education can level the playing field especially for the disadvantaged. Giving them the chance to go to school will open more and better opportunities for them in the future and provide the chance for them to escape the cycle of poverty,” added Peñol, a former commissioner of the National Youth Commission (NYC) and a teacher.