KORONADAL CITY, SOUTH COTABATO – The Provincial Government of South Cotabato, through the initiative of Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo, Jr., has committed to deliver and ensure educational continuity amidst the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 in the province.
Thus, Governor Tamayo, together with Legislative Committee on Education Board Member Ester Marin Catorce, and Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Ruth L. Estacio PhD, CESO VI spearheaded the turnover and distribution of seven hundred seventy eight (778) sets of transistor radios, two hundred thirteen (213) units of printers, five thousand five hundred fifty eight (5,558) reams of bond papers, and Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd) Program materials to identified schools in the province, including IPEd implementing schools.
“Marami ang hindi makakapaniwala na kaya nating gawan ng paraan na mailibre ang edukasyon sa probinsiya ng South Cotabato. Marami ang hindi naniwala even the previous administration told me suntok sa buwan yan, pero ngayon atin ng napatunayan na possible pala.” Governor Tamayo said in his message.
The free education is one of the pilot programs of the governor’s administration when he assumed the office in 2019, and it now continues to expand its beneficiaries.
In the same way, ASDS Astacio ensured the learners of the province that education must continue despite the pandemic.
“Kung makikita ninyo ang inyong mga radios may USB ports kay ang system natin is plug and play, kung hindi nila makuha ang frequency ng mga radio then isi-save sa USB ang mga radio lessons and then the student can plug and play and listen to the explanation of the teacher.” ASDS Estacio said.
“Our teachers always need printers and bond papers because most of our schools in the division of South Cotabato, I think that’s around 80% of our schools, are into modular distance learning, heavy on printed materials, heavy on bond papers, and heavy on ink. Kaya strategic yung pinagkakagamitan natin ng pera sa school board,” she added.
Moreover, as the program aims to support and promote culture-sensitive education to indigenous peoples, the provincial government officially turned over IPEd materials such as pedal loom, tnonggong, slagi, klintang, tambol, klutang, sludoy, hegelung, beads and embroidery, for the benefit of the school and the community.
The Provincial Government of South Cotabato, through its Special Education Fund, purchased the said materials amounting to P3,622,800.00.
