Schools in remote areas to get government priority

MANILA, Philippines — Even as access to basic education continues to improve across the country, several public schools in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas still face problems in terms of facilities and resources, according to the Department of Education (DepEd). 

Education Secretary Leonor Briones vowed to prioritize the development of the so-called “last mile” schools, or those that fail to meet the basic criteria set for learning institutions in the Philippines.

She directed various offices in the agency to identify which schools fall under this category to enable the DepEd to implement programs that would address their needs.

“The DepEd is sustaining the substantial gains in access to education through the provision of adequate facilities, teaching and non-teaching personnel and learning resources,” read a memorandum signed by Briones last May 22.

“However, gaps in resources and facilities still remain in schools that have not met the allocation criteria for various education inputs,” it added.

Based on the memorandum, “last mile” schools are those that have less than four classrooms, with makeshift or non-standard rooms, without electricity, have not been allocated funds for repairs or construction for the last four years and have travel distance of more than one hour from the town center.

They also include those that have multigrade classes or rooms, with less than five teachers, have a student population of less than 100 and with more than 75 percent of learners coming from indigenous peoples’ groups.