Adopt-a-School ProgramExtending a Hand Towards

Educational

Development

The Adopt-A-School Program, which started in 1998, was created to help generate investments and support to

education outside the mainstream funding and the national budget.

They are enjoined to support the schools in any of the following

areas: infrastructure, health and nutrition,

teaching skills development,

computer and science lab equipment and

learningsupport.

Under the program, legally instituted by the passage of RA 8525, private entities, either local or overseas are given the opportunity to become partners in education through their assistance in

the upgrading and modernizations of public elementary and high schools. In return, they are to enjoy additional tax incentives (150 percent)

as they implement their project.

Adaption ProcessA Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) will

specify the details of adoption between the adopting entity and the head of the school

concerned. MOA is subject to review and approval of

the School Superintendents. A standards and guidelines for review of

adoption shall be formulated by the Coordinating Council (assessment for the application for tax credits by the adopting

entity)The agreement shall last for at least two

years.

Schools that make it to the list are the less privileged, those who have limited resources but have very large student population. Most of them experience

classroom shortage, insufficient textbooks and instructional materials and

overcrowding. Schools in low-income municipalities, those that are poor but

have high performing students and those with undernourished students are also

given due considerations.

Photo shows the inauguration and turn-over of the 2nd Year High School Building of the La Soledad Integrated School in Brgy. Nongnong, Butuan City to

the Department of Education (DepEd) Caraga. The Adopt-a-school project is made possible through the efforts of the Rotary Club of Metro Butuan in

partnership with Alpha Phi Omega (APO) and APO

LAMBDA,

An organized fun run of the

Philippine Star Ngayon for a cause to help

rebuild San Isidro Elementary School in

Naguillan, La Union, that was damaged by the typhoon Pepeng last November

2009.

Taking a Different Route

And instead of opting in financial areas, some of these institutions chose to provide

their expertise, doing what they do best and maximizing the resources that they already

have.

One classic example would be

the work of the Manila Water

Company, which did an audit on the drainage systems of

schools in their territory. Pasig

Elementary School, their first project, now have

safe and clean drinking .

The Lopez Group of Companies, which utilized the Knowledge Channel as an avenue to improve the quality of education

through a different medium. All of their

programs are based on the Philippine curriculum for elementary and high school, designed to help

students in academic subjects such as History,

Science and Math

STI’s reach-out, providing equal opportunities in ICT-enhanced learning to Filipino students

across the country specially to those who are less privileged. The STI Mobile School 2 is

the second installment of STI’s “Driving Education Where IT Matters” campaign. The new Mobile School is equipped with

a state-of-the-art computer laboratory with internet access,

27 units of multimedia computers, LCD monitors,

sound system, and other top-of-the-line computer equipment.

The Promise in Education

•With the demand for public education in the secondary level growing at the rate of five

percent a year, more than twice the population growth rate.

•a big shift in the enrollment from private education to public education because of the rising costs of living in the country, parents could no longer afford the tuition fees being

charged.

•with the continuing problems in budgets and limited resources. As a result, government funded

schools often experience shortage in about everything except the number of enrollees!

•and as much as DepEd wants to provide public school students first class learning environment that they deserve, such task is enormous and

difficult.

•Education… a concept that would impact whole country, affecting not only this generation but the future ones as well, should not be left in the hands of the few but should be developed and cultivated

by every Filipino in every way that they can.

•As DepEd former Secretary Edilberto De Jesus mentioned in his speech, “Basic education is

too big and too important a task to leave to the government.” Education is the country’s

answer to the growing problem of poverty. “We do not only want to alleviate it but to totally

eradicate it.

•Idealistic the statement might be, it is within reach if every Filipino will join hands and make

an effort to instill change

•Impossibilities are impossible to a nation that reaches for the stars together. United, the

nation is unbreakable.