More DepEd schools for IPs in Lianga, Surigao Sur urged

THE Manobo youths in Surigao del Sur have wanted schools under the Department of Education (DepEd) be established in Kilometer 9, Diatagon, Lianga town.

This call came after nearly 100 youths have finished the 3rd Lianga Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) at the 3rd Special Forces Battalion headquarters in St. Christine, Lianga, over the weekend.

Out of the 95 YLS participants, eight from the conflict-affected indigenous peoples community of Kilometer 9 joined the activity for the first time.

The group identified quality education and insurgency as primary problems faced by the youth in their community.

“I strive hard to finish school and help my family because I know that Communist NPA Terrorist-influenced areas find it hard to prosper. We wish that a DepEd school will be constructed here in our sitio,” one of the participants said as quoted by the military.

In a statement, the military said some participants who are students of Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural Development (Alcadev) and graduates of the Tibal Filipino Program of Surigao del Sur (TRIFPSS) found it hard to transfer to other DepEd schools “because their papers are not valid and are non-accredited.”

“The reason why communist-influenced militant groups hamper the educational intervention of DepEd in conflict-affected areas is because their schools, TRIFPSS and ALCADEV will become irrelevant and will die a natural death. Most fo the IPs when asked, wanted to transfer to the DepEd-accredited IP government schools once these become readily available in their sitios,”401st Infantry Brigade Commander Colonel Allan Hambala said.

The military also said the education department assured to include Kilometer 9 as a beneficiary of the DepEd’s Last Mile School Program to address gaps in isolated, disadvantaged areas, and to offer a far better quality education than the alleged NPA-linked schools. (PR)

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