TACLOBAN CITY – At least 2,601 senior high school (SHS) students in this city have availed the voucher program for enrolling in private schools and state universities and colleges.
The Department of Education (DepEd) expects that more SHS students will be listed in the program with the current updating of information at the department’s main office.
The number accounts more than half of the nearly 5,000 SHS learners enrolled in both public and private schools in the city this academic year.
Norberto Erandio, DepEd Tacloban division SHS coordinator, said there are 20 private schools and eight public learning institutions offering the SHS program.
The voucher program is intended for Grade 10 graduates who wish to pursue SHS education in non-DepEd schools such as private high schools, colleges, and universities, and technical and vocational schools, starting this school year.
The voucher enables students to claim a “discount” or a deduction from the cost of tuition and other fees charged by a non-DepEd school where they are enrolled.
The voucher subsidy is not given to students directly in the form of cash but will be disbursed by DepEd to the school.
“Through the voucher program, students and their families are able to exercise greater choice in deciding the SHS program that is most relevant to their needs and career goals,” Erandio said.
Since Tacloban is highly urbanized city, recipients are entitled to receive a full voucher amount of P20,000.
The SHS voucher amount is aligned to the cost of public provision or how much it would cost government to support the schooling of a public SHS student.
“This means that whether a student decides to enroll in a public or a non-DepEd SHS, the government’s investment in his or her education is the same,” Erandio added.
The voucher amount varies for a Grade 10 graduates in a public JHS (100 percent voucher value) and from a private JHS (80 percent voucher value), since students in private schools are paying students and have some capacity to pay.
SHS covers the last two years of the K to 12 program and includes Grades 11 and 12. In this system, students go through a core curriculum and subjects under a track of their choice.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO)
2,601 Tacloban senior high students avails DepEd voucher program
Carigara mayor seeks NHA reconsideration over suspension of housing project
CARIGARA, Leyte- The National Housing Authority (NHA) has suspended indefinitely the construction of a housing project in this town intended for families who lost their houses due to supertyphoon ‘Yolanda.’
This was disclosed by Mayor Eduardo Ong who issued an appeal to the NHA to reconsider its September 8 decision.
The resettlement project, located in Barangay Parag-um, was intended for families who totally lost their houses due to supertyphoon ‘Yolanda.’
The town mayor said that on September 8, he received a letter from the NHA informing him on the indefinite suspension of the resettlement project citing prevailing bad weather condition in the region.
“If it’s weather condition they are citing that’s occurring in the whole region, why just single out the Carigara project. Does it mean that it is only in Carigara that experiences heavy rains?” Ong said.
Ong described the NHA move as “unreasonable.”
The resettlement project is being undertaken by Markbilt Construction Trading and Development Corporation based in Cubao, Quezon City.
Mayor Ong said that he hope the NHA will reconsider its order considering that it affects the supposed beneficiaries of the projects.
The NHA is building a total of 3,224 housing units intended for families living in areas considered as flood-prone and in coastal villages in the town with a budget of P1 billion.
The other resettlement site is in Brgy. Sagkahan but the mayor does not know yet if this is also included in the suspended project.
He says the NHA order runs aground with the recent pronouncements by Vice President in her recent visit to Tacloban to fasttrack all resettlement projects so that families can already transfer and settlez in safer and better homes.
(AHLETTE C. REYES/LIZBETH ANN ABELLA)
TESDA chief asks LGUs to work with private sector to help create jobs
TACLOBAN CITY- Local government units should learn to harness human capability for job generation with the help of the private sector.
Thus said Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Guiling Mamondiong adding that the private sector could provide more employment opportunities for their people.
“Without the help of the private sector, our country’s economy will not improve because they are the biggest job generator. So we need the support of the private sector,” Mamondiong said in his speech during a regional consultation at the Eastern Visayas State University attended by various government agencies and private sector.
The government, he said, does not have the capability to generate thousands of jobs but could only provide incentives to private sectors who will invest at their respective locality.
“Every time there is an issue of unemployment, it is always the President who is blamed for this problem. He is accused for not making a solution to this problem. But if only the LGUs will exercise their power, they can create thousands of jobs,” Mamondiong said.
LGUs may also create jobs by organizing small groups to create an organization but for greater job generation they should promote public-private partnership, he said.
“Job generators are the private sector but I also want the LGUs to create jobs in their respective jurisdiction and stop thinking for the national government to create jobs,” Mamondiong added.
But for a person to have a job, they need to have formal education which the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education provides or by skills training which they can acquire through training at TESDA.
Sec Mamondiong also called for the national government line agencies to do their share in creating jobs, citing the Department of Tourism as an example by creating tourist destinations in every local government units in the region, in particular, which resulted to job opportunities. (ROEL T.AMAZONA)
Remote Samar village enjoys Kalahi-CIDSS projects
MOTIONG, Samar- Residents of a remote barangay of this town are now enjoying projects initiated by the national government.
Funded under the Kalahi-CIDSS (Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Service) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Brgy. New Minarong has now its own day care center, flood control project, water system and a rice mill.
New Minarong, a village farm which has a population of 377 people, is 2.3 kilometers away from the town proper and with poor road condition reason why services and even projects are hard to come by to the village.
Elizabeth Paculaba, president of the New Minarong Rice Mill Association, said that the rice mill project is not only benefitting their own farmers but even those coming from other barangays of the town.
“The rice mill helps us a lot. It did not only ease our burden from transporting our palay to the town proper and reducing the wastage of palay but also provides additional income to us. That is why we are thankful to Kalahi-CIDSS for granting us this project,” Paculaba said.
Kalahi-CIDSS is a community-driven development project of the government wherein communities and their local government units (LGUs) are trained to choose, design and implement sub-projects that aim to address problem on poverty.
Paculaba said that since they started to operate their rice mill in 2014, they have generated an income of P100,000.
The group has also resorted to lending money among its members with a five percent interest. This lending scheme has earned them P80,000 which they kept in a bank.
Meantime, the water system put up by the Kalahi-CIDSS is considered by resident Anita Paculaba to have the biggest impact to the community.
The water system provides the community a safe drinking water.
Before the tap stand water system was constructed, residents of the village have to travel for about 15 minutes to get potable water.
Town Mayor Renato Cabael said that he is thankful for the projects put up under the Kalahi-CIDSS in his town.
Cabael, who is serving on his first term, said that all the 30 barangays of the town benefited projects under the Kalahi-CIDSS.
He, however, said that they still need more assistance from the government especially for road constructions leading to remote villages of the town. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
DepEd execs cite drug testing challenges for learners
TACLOBAN CITY – Top officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) admitted that several issues should be resolved first before the conduct of drug test to students.
DepEd Undersecretary for Governance and Operation Jesus Lorenzo Mateo said the drug testing process is too complicated for minors as parent’s consent is required.
“This is an interagency effort with the Department of Health (DOH) and Office of the President. We will pursue drug testing, but we just need to tackle issues with different concern agencies,” Mateo said.
The pointed out the education department has many limitations, including administering the test and getting the results. These tasks are the primary responsibility of the health department.
Dina Ocampo, DepEd undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction, said the department has yet to decide on the specifics of randomly selecting the country’s 25 million students to undergo drug test.
“With the huge number, you need to be intelligent about selecting who needs to go through some form of drug testing. This cannot be compulsory because parents will have to give their permission. We have to respect civil rights of children and the rights of parents over their children,” Ocampo told reporters.
Officials will have to agree on the right age for school children to undergo drug testing, noting that all of them are minors.
“We cannot cover them all because it can create psycho emotional problems of the child. We have to protect them and consider other indicators,” Ocampo added.
Both undersecretaries declined to answer media queries as to when the drug testing will be conducted saying that it all depends on the formulation of implementing guidelines.
The two undersecretaries were in this city on October 5 to lead the Teachers’ Day regional celebration in Eastern Visayas.
“We need a ready program to help first before doing the testing. What if one will become positive? What we should do? We should come up with clear answers to these questions. There are many variables to consider and things to be planned because they are children,” Ocampo explained.
During a recent budget hearing, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said they are “seriously considering” to conduct an annual drug test for teachers and some students.
The DepEd pushed for this initiative after reports came out that substantial number of self-confessed drug users are young people. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)
DOLE-8 moves to end ‘endo’ by 2017
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regional office here reiterated its call to private establishments in Eastern Visayas to put an end to labor contractualization.
Teams have been tasked to visit different establishments urging employers to completely stop contractualization by the end of next year.
For the remaining three months of 2016, the labor department wanted to see 50 percent of workers in the private sector getting regular positions.
“The DOLE is committed to strictly implement the law on the security of tenure and help them enjoy the benefit due for regular workers. Don’t wait for the DOLE to exercise its visitorial power for them to implement the law,” said DOLE regional information officer Virgilio Doroja, Jr.
In response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for businesses to end their engagement with “endo” – short for end of contract, some firms have already expressed their intention to comply the law on security of tenure.
The labor department is primarily focusing on malls, hotels, restaurants, security agencies and department stores where end-of-contract scheme is prevalent.
A big hardware store in this city became the first company in the region to heed the DOLE’s directive to end contractualization.
The Tacloban Ultrasteel Corporation issued on October 5 appointment papers to their 54 workers, enforcing the workers’ right to security of tenure.
Before Pres.Duterte’s pronouncement to end illegitimate contractualization or “endo”, the firm has already regularized its 50 employees.
“This is part of showing our support to the President’s policies. On the part of workers, they will have ownership. They feel that they are part of the business and partners in our growth,” said Maria Teresa Cua, Tacloban Ultrasteel Corp. chief operating officer.
The company, which started operation in 1996, has been considered as one of the largest provider of homebuilding and construction materials, and the first do-it-yourself shop in this city. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)