Schools to rise in remote Samar villages to stop NPA recruitment

From the Philippine News Agency (May 17, 2023): Schools to rise in remote Samar villages to stop NPA recruitment (By Roel Amazona)

NO SCHOOL. Matuguinao, Samar Mayor Aran Boller (sitting on stairs) talks to children and parents of remote San Roque village. The community, the farthest from the town center, has no school. (Photo from FB page of Aran Boller)

TACLOBAN CITY – The local government unit of Matuguinao, Samar is opening more primary schools in remote communities to help stop the recruitment activities of the New People's Army (NPA).

Elementary campuses will open in Bag-otan and Camonoan villages this year, said Mayor Aran Boller in a phone interview on Wednesday.

Currently, the 300 learners from these two villages have to walk for hours to attend classes in neighboring villages. Students in Camonoan attend classes in San Jose village in Gandara town while learners from Bag-otan are enrolled in schools at the town center.

“After decades of aspiration to have a school in their village, finally this will be realized this year. The evaluation conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd) regional office had a positive result. We expect that by August, these two villages will have classrooms,” he said.

The construction of classrooms will be funded by the DepEd while the lot is donated by the local government.

The Matuguinao local government also aims the establishment of a primary school in the farthest village of San Roque.

“When I went there, I learned that there were residents who were almost as old as me but had never been to school, not even in a daycare,” Boller added.

Going to San Roque takes a day-long hike. The easiest way of going to the village is to pass through Silvino Lobos town in Northern Samar.

The village was declared insurgency free in 2021, but there are still sightings of the communist armed group crossing the boundaries of Northern Samar to the other two Samar Island provinces.

The problem of illiteracy makes children vulnerable to recruitment by the New People's Army, the mayor said.

“As a leader, it’s depressing to know that this is happening to the youth. That is why it is not surprising that they are easily recruited by the communist group because they can’t even read or write. They can’t identify letters nor numbers. So, we really need to provide and give directions to the youth,” Boller said.

He added that after his visit, he immediately wrote a letter to the education department to build a school in San Roque village.

Aside from primary school, Boller has bared the DepEd's plan to establish two new secondary schools, which will cater to high school students living in far-flung villages of the town.

At present the town has only one secondary school, the Matuguinao National High School situated in the town proper.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1201671