Pag-asa Island students hold on amid lack of facilities, teachers

Learning continues for students in Pag-asa Island in Palawan despite the lack of teachers and education facilities.

According to Joseph Morong’s report on “24 Oras” on Tuesday, the assigned teachers from the Department of Education (DepEd) have yet to arrive in the island from Puerto Princesa City.

The school facilities, meanwhile, remained damaged two years after Typhoon Odette battered the coastal community.

“Ipapatawag namin pati yung teacher in charge, bago ‘yung DepEd (Department of Education) para malaman natin kung bakit hanggang ngayon hindi pa sila nakaakyat,” said Councilor Arzel Balidan.

(We will call the teacher in charge before the DepEd to ask why the teachers have yet to arrive here.)

Some learners admitted feeling like they did not learn enough in their studies.

“Hindi ko po alam pag nag-graduate ako ng Grade 10, pagpasok ko ng Grade 11 hindi ko po alam kung paano,” said Mauren Princess Pactao.

(I don’t know if I learned enough from Grade 10 to apply it in Grade 11.)

Apart from lack of education facilities, residents in Pag-asa Island also suffer from shortage of health facilities and supplies as the government’s replenishment mission gets interrupted during sea trips. 

“Nakaranas na kami ng Pasko, walang handa. tapos New Year…Bigas lang at sardinas,” a resident said.

(We experienced having no supplies for Christmas and New Year. We only ate rice and sardines.)

The  DepEd said the curriculum being taught in Pag-asa Island is the same one being used in other schools. It added it would deploy one teacher for English or Mathematics in the island apart from the four teachers assigned there.

GMA Integrated News reached out to the Department of Health for a comment but it has yet to respond.

Pag-asa Island is the largest among the nine areas occupied by Filipino troops in the West Philippine Sea. It is about 280 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Princesa City.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News