Philippines Country Office

How and Why a Poor and Disaster-Prone Province Topped the National Exams
by Rita Festin, ADB National Officer

Tomas Oppus, Southern Leyte -- It's no accident that Southern Leyte topped the recent National Achievement Test (NAT) where three of its national high schools in fifth class municipalities bagged a 1-2-3 finish in the freshman level. In fact, eight of its national high schools were in the top 30. That the test came just a week after the Ginsaugon landslide disaster which buried an elementary school made the feat even more meaningful to them.

On top of its class. Second year students of Rizal National High School in Tomas Oppus, Southern Leyte, pose with their teachers. At the first row (fourth and fifth from left) are Margarita Badeo, teacher-in-charge, and Mayor Felicula.

Southern Leyte is one of the provinces where the Secondary Education Development and Improvement Project (SEDIP) is being implemented for which the Asian Development Bank provided a $53 million loan in 1998. The project benefits over a million high school students in 26 very poor provinces where enrollment, completion, and student performance levels were low. It aims to improve the quality of secondary education and access to such education in those provinces.

Under the project, school heads are trained in planning and management while teachers were trained in subject knowledge and teaching skills. The project has provided textbooks for all students in core subjects (i.e. Math, Science, English, and Filipino) and some of those unable to attend school regularly have an alternative secondary education program. Innovative ways to keep the students in school have been developed; some schools even have their own school-feeding program. It has also promoted the decentralization of secondary education management by building up the capacity of divisions, regions, and central offices to take on new responsibilities. The Bureau for Secondary Education (BSE) under the Department of Education is implementing the project. ADB's contribution in the "soft" areas (capacity development, school development, alternative school programs and teaching-learning materials) is complemented by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation which supports the project through infrastructure development (new schools and new classrooms for existing schools) and school equipment.

When the natiional test results came out, Southern Leyte schools division superintendent Dr. Violeta Alocilja literally "jumped for joy", even at the risk of a fourth stroke. After all, there was a time when they ranked second to the last in the region. But within a year of her appointment to Southern Leyte, the area was able to zoom up the list of SEDIP schools to no. 3 in the whole region. Last year, it already ranked no. 1 among SEDIP divisions in the Eastern Visayas region.

"SEDIP played a very significant role in influencing learning. It is also the stimulus which developed the schools with all the inputs, learning packages, and the in-service training. It revitalized the learning in the classroom. The learning that the school heads gathered from the training significantly developed their competence to lead the schools," Dr. Alocilja says.

"I am glad because, with SEDIP, all teachers are trained. And SEDIP insisted that the first who are trained are the same teachers to be trained for phase 2. There's a very good tracking mechanism that they have installed for in-service training." Teachers are after all the key in the learning process, she notes.

Rizal National High School teacher-in-charge Margarita Badeo said she initially thought it was the school in Metro Manila with the same name that topped the exam. "I was shocked. I did not expect it. Mixed emotions talaga (really)," Badeo said, feeling happy at their achievement but overwhelmed by the responsibility of now keeping up with people's high expectations.

NAT Topnotchers. At the entrance of Rizal National High School, a streamer greets students reminding them of their achievement.

Her small school is located up a remote hill in this town where its 194 enrollees wear rubber slip-ons to school through mud and a rugged uphill terrain. They do wear shoes but only inside the classroom so they will not get muddy. Most of the students are children of poor farmers and are malnourished. Some of them live as far as 5 kilometers away and spend an hour walking just to go to school. The school maximizes their attendance by having a daily feeding program where parents take turns bringing simple lunch for the entire school. This way, students will not have to leave school at lunchtime nor drop out due to hunger. For their prize, the town mayor had a stage built in the middle of the school grounds. Each of the teachers will also get a certificate of recognition.

In second-placer Marayag National High School in San Francisco town, students also do not wear shoes because it makes their feet swell when walking through the sand to the beachfront school. Some students wake up at 4 am just to ride the public bus to school. The school has about 40 students in a class and is just a few meters away from the sea. Waves could get very high in a strong "habagat" (typhoon). The school nonetheless has many best practices, not just in the scholastic field with its conducive learning atmosphere, but in the arts as well. It has classes in painting, pottery, and bonsai gardening. Parents play an important role in their children's education.

"Masaya po kaming nakamit namin ang pangalawa sa National Achievement Test dahil hindi nasayang ang paghihirap naming na araw-araw naming pag-rereview (We are very happy that we got second place because our hard work in the daily reviews did not go to waste),".says second year high school student Daryl Aure who was one of the students who took the NAT in Marayag.

Teachers and students were well prepared for the exam, pumping in months of intense review and extra school hours that spilled over into the weekends. Towards the exam date, they were given mock tests based on previous NATs. When the landslide occurred, then Education Secretary Fe Hidalgo gave the district the option to cancel the exams; but the teachers themselves decided to go through with them, focused as they were.

"It is not, however, the review itself that enables students to perform well on exams but the process of making connections and seeing relationships between and among lessons," according to Lolita Andrada, Director of the BSE and SEDIP project manager.

They started reviews as early as July. "By doing this preparation, we can improve more, maintain and move higher," says Rico Amper, principal of third-placer Pintuyan National High School which is located on a hill in the heart of Pintuyan town, overlooking the sea. The town name means "it's a door", meaning it is the gateway to Mindanao. The last time the school placed high in a national exam was in the 1990s when he was still a young teacher.

The roads leading to his school are being cemented but several sections have landslide warnings. In fact, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau has warned that the 30-year old school is landslide-prone at the back, where a creek is located. But residents leave their fate to God.

"Dito sa Pintuyan, we are happy na hindi kami naapektuhan sa mga landslide. Iyong mga kalapit namin -- Liloan, San Ricardo and San Francisco -- iyong tatlong iyan, natamaan talaga. We are very thankful to God na hindi naman kami nasasama (Here in Pintuyan, we are happy that we are not affected by landslides. The neighboring towns like Liloan, San Ricardo and San Francisco, those three are really prone. We are very thankful to God that we are spared," says town councilor Eusebio Tiempo.

NAT Second Topnotcher. Students of Marayag National High School in San Francisco, Southern Leyte, stream out of their beachfront school.

Their high ranking is no accident for education is a commitment between stakeholders. In Pintuyan, parents and students sign a Learning Contract where they vow not to let the children miss school, even the special weekend classes when they are supposed to be farming, fishing or doing household chores. Parents and students do not mind the extended school days since they know it is for their children's sake. The contracts are submitted to the teacher for safekeeping. In other schools, the contract is between the parents, students and teachers.

"Parents should also spend time with their children so that their children will be guided during study hours, ideally after dinner at least one hour a day, doing their assignments. That is one way of encouraging them to study. But when the parents are mostly working, and only the helpers are there, wala talaga epekto (there is really no effect). Because education starts at home, parents play a major role so that the students would love reading, would love to study," says Indalecia A. Sumulat, school principal of Marayag National High School. Her first name was picked out from the Almanac and her last name means "write". She advises the youth to refrain from watching too much TV. "It can distract from their study habits. Because most of their time, they are watching TV and their study habits will be affected," she added.

Dr. Alocilja emphasizes the need for students to be good in communication skills, both in reading and writing, even incorporating a journalism subject in all her public high schools. "If you are weak in English, you are weak in all subjects," she says. "You can't compete in the world if you're not well-grounded in English and reading. It opens up to a whole world of adventure, building the confidence of children to face the world and meet the challenges."

With an average ratio of 40 to 50 students in a class in this province, teachers manage the students better, unlike their counterparts in many other areas where class size is sometimes double that number.

In the project's High School Innovation Fund (HSIF), innovative interventions are used to help students with low reading comprehension or for other activities to improve student performance. They are identified and grouped into one class for reading sessions where they are given exercises, such as silent reading, shown films and taught how to appreciate the story. From 'frustration' level, they go on to achieve the 'independent' level.

Some schools even have their own slogans for the HSIF program. For 33rd placer Sogod National High School, it's "Catch Before they Fall", meaning catch the students and help them improve their reading comprehension before they drop out of school out of frustration. For 17th placer Divisoria National High School, it's "Hooked on Books" to get the students to love reading.

In the project's Secondary Schooling Alternatives component, students at risk of dropping out are assisted. Some principals and teachers adopt their own "scholars", generally with funds from their own pocket.

Dedicated educators. Southern Leyte schools division superintendent Dr. Violeta Alocilja and Margarita Badeo, teacher-in-charge of topnotcher Rizal National High School in Tomas Oppus, Southern Leyte, beam at their students' topnotch performance.

The school heads attribute their good performance to the hands-on supervision of their division superintendent. "Her words are very powerful," Badeo says of Dr. Alocilja who has a reputation for being strict and tough. Sumulat cites her guidance and motivation. "She is always telling us to review, review, and make some strategies in order to sustain and maintain that rank." But she is quick to give credit to her teachers and school heads. "I really got the best of them all."

Wendy Duncan, ADB Senior Project Management Specialist, commended the understudy program for principals in Southern Leyte, which means there is no hiatus nor missing link in the school hierarchy at any time, such as during training programs.

Dr. Alocilja talks slowly in a monotone, and chooses her words carefully. But her voice can break into a deep and hearty laugh, especially when she talks about her schools. When she sings the karaoke, to relieve stress, she does so with much passion. But she deliberately tones down her performance when pitted against local town mayors whose support she woos for funding school projects.

Her third stroke three years ago rendered her a vegetable but she was able to recover and get back on her feet in no time. "God allowed me to live another episode. So I promised the Lord that this time, every minute counts. So I am living on borrowed time, making an impact here and there, up, down, middle, so that things will be remembered."

Her mission in life is that "no public school student should feel so small" when pitted against private school counterparts, admitting that she was discriminated against in public school as a child. Back then, her family was so poor they could not afford to contribute a chicken for a victory party for honor students like her, as required by her teacher. "My parents said we don't have food to eat nga, mag-donate pa ng chicken (My parents said we don't have enough food to eat so how can we donate a chicken)?!," she recalled.

As a result of that incident, she is very strong on fairness and objectivity in assessing the performance of teachers and pupils. "Be honest and sincere because we will earn the respect of the community we are serving," she stresses.