Hope for the Hope

A story of two eSkwela learners in Boac, Marinduque

written by Ave Mejia

Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan - translated to English word for word: the youth is the
hope of the nation - Jose Rizal is convinced t'is to be the destiny of the Filipino youth.
More than a hundred years later, somewhere in the municipality of Boac in the island
province of Marinduque, two out-of-school youth learners have come back to “school”
through the eSkwela Center - doing their best not to disappoint him.

Before eSkwela
Darrel Laririt simply was not that interested in attending
classes. It also did not help that he worked during
weekends: he helped out in construction work in every
way a thirteen year-old could: he sifted sand, plastered
walls, mixed cement and gravel in order to help his
family bring food to the table (his father works at a hog
farm, while his mother stays at home and tend to
household chores). Soon enough, he dropped out of
school completely and was not able to finish high
OSY learners John Paulo Layron and school. Now twenty-three years old, he has been doing
Darrel Laririt have fun at the Boac odd jobs here and there: apart from going back to
eSkwela Center. construction work, he once mounted preserved
butterflies in wooden frames, apparently a specialty
souvenir item in Marinduque. Outside of work, he moonlights as a drummer for a local rock
band and loves to cover Pinoy alternative songs.

John Paulo Layron used to excel in school, but eventually lost interest because he had to
deal with the separation of his parents. He visited his parents from one Marinduque town
to another, which made focusing on studies harder than it should have been. Moving to
Lucena (Quezon) did not do much good either, as he sputtered in his studies after a
promising start. He eventually stopped going to school and moved back to Marinduque to
work. Despite his family having accepted his homosexuality, Paulo - who prefers to be
called Paula or Patricia – now seventeen years of age, has made a living out of his comedic
talents, and even starred in local boxing matches as a round girl, much to his father's
dismay - although his father couldn't complain after seeing the good money Paula has
earned from the gig.

Getting back on track

Darrel and Paula have heard of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) program of DepEd
through the tireless effort of Boac's mobile teachers, who have encouraged them to finish
their high school education the ALS way: they do not have to back to school, or at least go
back to the school they knew and dropped out of. They only have to take lessons they
missed out on through the ALS print modules, and attend learning sessions at their
preferred schedule. In less than a year, they can aspire to take the Accreditation and
Equivalency (A&E) exam, and complete their high school education upon passing.

eSkwela - a modern take on ALS

A big reason why they stayed with the ALS program is
because of the engaging and fun way it is being
delivered to them. Through Boac's eSkwela Center,
learning takes place in an environment enhanced by
Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
Interactive and media-rich electronic modules are used
instead of its black-and-white, worn-out print
counterpart. A Learning Management System (LMS)
becomes a venue for productive discussion among
learners and teachers. The technology used in eSkwela
liberates the teacher from the routine tasks and consequently fosters a learner-centered
learning environment.

Developed by the Commission on Information and

Communications Technology (CICT) in partnership with DepEd-
Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS), the eSkwela
model would not have been brought to Marinduque without the
support of the municipal government of Boac, who provided
the infrastructure component (computer hardware, space) and
the DepEd division office, who provided the learning
facilitators for the Center.

Dreams can come true

Darrel and Paula will take the A&E exam on August and hope
to pass it. Should they pass, they can realistically think of
taking further studies; Darrel wants to take an automotive
course (and still play drums on the side), while Paula is
choosing between a degree in Education or Business
Management. With perseverance and hard work, more
windows of opportunity will open up for them.

Just outside the Boac town hall where its eSkwela Center is
located, there is a monument of Jose Rizal, freshly painted in
time for his one hundred forty-ninth birth anniversary –
standing tall, as if watching over the out-of-school youth
learners in Boac. With the help of eSkwela, Darrel and Paula
hope to fulfill their destiny and make the great hero proud.

For more information on the eSkwela Project, please visit the eSkwela website at
http://alseskwela.ning.com