832 preschool mentors deployed in Mindanao

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines  —The Department of Education (DepEd) deployed this school year a total of 832 kindergarten teachers in Mindanao to strengthen the area’s preschool education which it has integrated as part of the agency’s newly implemented K to 12 program.

DepEd stressed that kindergarten provides children ages 5 to 6 necessary mental, social, psychological and pedagogical preparation for formal education beginning Grade 1 which ultimately encourages them to finish the six-year elementary course.

Northern Mindanao (Region 10) Director Gloria Benigno said her area — which consists of 14 schools divisions (SDs) including Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte, and Misamis Occidental and their component cities — was given the most number (200) of preschool mentors among Mindanao’s six regions.

The other Southern Philippines regions and their respective kinder teacher allocations are Central Mindanao (R12), 180; Southern Mindanao (R11), 155; Western Mindanao (Region 9) - 118; Caraga (Region 13) - 99, and Autonomous region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)