The Army soldiers who
underwent rigid training to be qualified as instructors took extra
steps and exerted great efforts to reach out to the remotest areas of
Northern Samar, using the institution's highly-respected, disciplined
and well-motivated set of officers and staff.
The Philippine Army
employed an effective and relevant and most desired way of fighting
ignorance and poverty in the countryside and made the learners active
and productive members of the Philippine society.
Utilizing the talents
and skills of the learners in worthwhile and meaningful economic
activities, the Philippine Army created models of community
development in areas hardly reached by development initiatives.
This innovative and
pioneering project, did not remain unnoticed. It was nominated by the
Division of Northern Samar to the Regional Level and moved on to be
adjudged as the country’s Best Literacy Program in 2005.
Literacy Programs such
as the Army Literacy Patrol Sytem (ALPS), which inspire all sectors to
help reduce the incidence of illiteracy in the Philippines are what
the Region 8 Selection Committee for the National Literacy Awards is
currently searching for in the different DepEd Divisions in
Eastern Visayas. From among these, the Regional nominees to the
National Literacy Awards, will be chosen.
DepEd Director Sol
Matugas who is the chairperson of the Regional Selection Committee
informed, that to date, the credentials of nominees from six divisions
namely, Tacloban City, Leyte, Northern Samar, Ormoc City, Samar and
Eastern Samar, have been received by the Regional Selection Committee.
The Regional Selection
Committee will conduct on-site visits to the divisions with entries
for the National Literacy Award Search, from May 14-23, 2008, Dr.
Imelda Parado, chief of the Alternative Learning System of DepEd
Regional Office 8 informed the Philippine Information Agency.
The Regional Selection
Committee, Atty. Alberto T. Escobarte, DepEd Assistant Regional
Director said, per the guidelines of the National Literacy Council is
composed of the Department of Education Director as chairman, the
Department of Interior and Local Government Director as co- chairman,
and the Philippine Information Agency Regional Director, National
Economic and Development Authority Regional Director and the President
of an Academe, as members. The Coordinator is the Department of
Education Regional Chief and the Secretary is the chief of the
Alternative Learning System Division.
The 2008 National
Literacy Awards is a project of the Literacy Coordinating Council and
the Department of Education, in support of the National Government’s
commitment to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goal
of reducing adult illiteracy by half in 2015, and consequently improve
the quality of life of the Filipino.
Through the 2008
National Literacy Awards, the National Literacy Council hopes to
mobilize all sectors of society, government agencies, non-government
organizations, local government units and the entire society to
promote and disseminate the importance of literacy to national
progress and consequently inspire them to develop, implement and
sustain literacy programs and projects throughout the country.
The National Literacy
Award aims to encourage the development and replication of innovative,
creative and indigenous literacy programs and projects.
The National Literacy
Awards has two categories: the Outstanding Literacy Program Award and
the Outstanding Local Government Unit Award.
The Outstanding
Literacy Program Award shall be given to a literacy program being
implemented by a non-government or civic organization, academic
institution, which has evident positive impact on the learners and the
community. The program should have contributed to the transformation
of learners into productive and more responsible community members.
The Local Government
Unit Award shall be given to a local government unit, city or
municipal government, which has developed policies, programs and
projects conducive to literacy development and which have
efficaciously made a positive impact on the barangays and the quality
of life of the people.
The Local Government
Unit Award will be given to one highly urbanized city, component city,
municipal level Class A and Class B. Class A includes the first class
up to third class municipalities while Class B includes the 4th class
to 6th class municipalities.
May 30 is the deadline
for the submission of the Regional Entries to the Literacy
Coordinating Council while the Awarding will coincide with the
convention of the National Literacy Council on the third week of
September.
The Literacy
Coordinating Council is an inter-agency body that is tasked to provide
overall policy and program direction to the country's literacy
development efforts committed to create and maintain an environment
for the development and promotion of literacy skills geared towards
the attainment of a literate Philippines. It is premised on RA 7165,
An Act Creating the Literacy Coordinating Council, defining its powers
and functions, appropriating therefore and for other purposes.
