Sunday, July 27, 2008 DepEd urged to help out-of-school youths
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Second district Board Member Edna David has asked the Department of Education (DepEd) to help in bringing back out-of-school youths (OSYs) into the school.
David made the appeal during the graduation ceremony for the Accreditation and Equivalency passers at the Teacher Training Center here last Saturday.
Close to 60 OSYs who took the exams given by DepEd and are now qualified to enter college.
Rosalinda Luna, schools division superintendent, said the examination was given to the youths who have failed to go to high school mainly due to poverty. These youths are now "a bit old" and are ashamed to go through the rigors of high school.
The OSYs took the test on February 17.
The board member urged the education department to provide more opportunities to OSYs in terms of assistance and accreditation and equivalency examinations.
She said the province has been placing education as a top priority.
"Education has been our top priority concern. We cannot overemphasize its importance in our quest for a better Pampanga and a stronger province. Our future hinges much on education," David told parents and graduates during the graduation ceremony.
To better prepare students for the future, David added that the Provincial Board (PB) is investing much in education, as the growing number of young people who are not attending school is indeed a problem.
The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said one in every six school-age children is being deprived of education.
The number, it said, is rising steadily.
The percentage of children enrolled in primary school was down to 83 percent in the 2006-2007 school years from 90 percent five years earlier, the NSCB said in a study.
The numbers are even worse for secondary education at 59 percent, though they have been steady for over five years.
"We want our public education to be globally competitive. That means we have to improve the basic competencies of our students. We have to provide an environment that is child-friendly, healthy and conducive to learning," David added. (IOF)
