THE Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DWSD-CAR) seeks to bring back 10,611 children under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to school.
Fatima Florendo, regional program coordinator of Pantawid Pilipino Program in the Cordillera, said DSWD-CAR has the “Balik Bata Eskwela” program which encourages and ensure 4Ps children-beneficiaries to go back to school.
Florendo added in the past six months, as of February 2019, there are around 10,611 students of 4Ps not attending school region-wide.
Peer pressure, lack of interest in school, and being sick was mentioned as top reasons for non-compliance.
Florendo added they are partnering with the Department of Education (DepEd) in ensuring they are properly enrolled and go back this school year. Case managers and municipal links are also tapped while parents are urged to ask their children to return.
Ifugao had the highest number with 2,207 followed by Benguet with 2,117 and Abra with 1,716. In fourth spot is Kalinga (1,583) followed by Apayao, (1,437) Mt. Province (821) and Baguio City (730).
She explained the number of dropouts since the start of the 4Ps program in 2012 continue to rise.
“Ngayon naman nag-increase siya because of child work, they rather farm, help their parents. As intervention, DSWD conducts school visits and home visits,” she added. “Last 2017, we are able to manage it because of our case managers, social workers, effective intervention plan but in 2018 it boom.”
The 4Ps education program then expanded for 18 years old and she added there are many dropouts among 15 to 18 years old compared to 14 years old.
For child work case, intervention plans include validation, thorough case management while child labor cases undergo case management and referred to Department of Labor and Employment to handle the case to determine if it is child labor.
Through the monitoring of the DSWD, it was in October 2018 where they recorded huge number of children-beneficiaries losing f interest in going to school.
Geraloy Palao-ay, DepEd-CAR information officer, said as much as possible they encourage children to go to school and complete formal schooling and help their parents during weekends.