How Sec Briones is responding to Asean landmark declaration for OSYs

(Part III)

Under the management of Gen. Gaudencio Tobias, the National Housing Authority (NHA) improved the slum areas of Metro Manila in the early 1980s. Large areas were organized into livable communities where community leaders helped in establishing community services for health, sanitation, livelihood and education. Operation Brotherhood International President Architect Oscar Arellano helped the first large relocation of 3,000 squatter families from the heritage site of Intramuros to Sapang Palay in 1963. This took place during the governance of Manila Mayor Villegas and was funded by the three top dailies: Manila Times, Chronicle and Manila Bulletin.

Spreading the Pagsasarili Montessori preschools in the improved squatter zones of Metro Manila - 1983

The constant relocation of squatters was formalized under the NHA headed by Gen. Gaudencio Tobias. Believing in equalizing opportunities, Gen. “Toby” let CRIO, the NHA community rehabilitation office to assist the O.B. Montessori Child and Community Foundation spread the affordable Montessori version of kindergarten, the Pagsasarili Preschool in ZIP Zones of Bagong Barrio and Bagong Silang, Caloocan, Marikina, Cubao, Pasig, San Juan, Las Piñas, Pasay and Dasmariñas, Cavite. These have elevated greatly the achievement of the children of poor families by having access to quality education that fostered their spirit of self-sufficiency in an orderly and beautiful environment.

After 33 years, there are six financially self-sufficient Pagsasarili Preschools located in West Crame and Onse in San Juan City, Bagong Barrio, Caloocan City, Tramo, Pasay City, San Roque and Industrial Valley Complex in Marikina City. The original P35 monthly tuition fee gradually increased to P1,500. Several of these are still operated by the OBMCCFI. The other sites were turned over to the local government units, who took over the management of the school or converted it into other community services.

The Pagsasarili twin literacy project ‘teach a mother teach the nation’ wins the 1993 International Literacy Award

The following year 1984 when the rebels were burning sugar plantations in Negros, the Mothercraft Literacy Course for Village Mothers was added to the Pagsasarili Preschool making it the “Mother and Child Learning Together” twin project established in 17 sugar plantations of Cadiz and Sagay, Negros Occidental among the sugar planter friends of mystic Punay Kabayao Fernandez.

DECS Secretary Lourdes Quisumbing happily launched it stating “This is the real revolution, not a one day EDSA Revolution but a daily transformation of family life through Good Grooming, systematic Housekeeping, Childcare, Cooking and Nutrition, convertible to backyard business.”   This project was linked to the local government, the first headed by then Mayor Rowena Guanzon and Mayor Joseph Maranon.  It is a one-month practical course for parents, guardians and caregivers supplemented by an illustrated Tagalog English functional literacy manual using the Pagsasarili Montessori materials inclusive of Geography, History, Botany, Zoology, Math and Language lessons.

Considered by UNESCO as the perfect fulfillment of its slogan “Teach a Mother, Teach the Nation” the Pagsasarili Twin Project won the UNESCO International Literacy Award in 1993 in New Delhi, India.

Piloting the Pagsasarili system in the public elementary school-2001

Having reprogrammed the Montessori system of early childhood education for the Pagsasarili Preschools, we responded to the challenge of then UNESCO director-general Koichiro Matsuura for the EFA-DAKAR FRAMEWORK OF ACTION for quality education. After a decade of Education for all (EFA) evaluated in Dakar, Africa in 2000, an increase in enrollment among the poor children was observed in developing countries but remained below standard.

OBMCCFI entered into a formal agreement with the Department of Education in Region 3 to reform the public school system and fulfill the right to quality education of five to 12-year-old school children. The pilot project, titled EFA-Dakar Action Plan for Quality Basic Education, integrated the innovative Pagsasarili curriculum in the public school of Pulung-Bulu, Angeles City, Pampanga right behind our own O.B. Montessori school branch along McArthur Highway, since 2001. Students of the least-performing sections from Grade 1 to 6 were chosen for this pilot project. Teachers of the public school were retrained on Montessori psychology and use of Pagsasarili classroom materials. Parents contributed monthly to maintain the school facilities and give additional honorarium for the trained teachers. The academic performance of these students steadily improved as they gained more confidence in learning English using Grammar boxes, the Snake Game to master addition of two-digit numbers and the Clock of Eras and Timeline of Life to learn about History of the world.  This was intended to be a model for quality Basic Education for the seven provinces of DECS Region 3.

After 15 years of re-engineering the public school curriculum, graduates of this pilot project have gone on to excel in the secondary and tertiary levels. It continues to exist with a total population of 602 from pre-kindergarten to Grade 6 for school year 2016-2017.

How the Pagsasarili pilot preschools failed with DepEd and Ched

In 2007, we partnered with DepEd through my UNESCO commissioner Under Secretary Vilma Labrador and Secretary Jesli Lapus to adopt the Pagsasarili preschool system into 25 pre-elementary level of public schools of Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A and 4B, and three laboratory schools of Teacher Training Universities: Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology with their President Dr. Grace Lopez and Leyte Normal University President Dr. Evelyn Cruzada and President Jean Figueroa of Cadiz Normal University. Our same efforts to integrate the principles of the Pagsasarili system into their curriculum were not as successful as the enhancement of the DSWD day care centers. Although there was a formal agreement to train teachers, this should have included a MOA to work closely together meeting the standard guideline even when the university heads retire.  Public preschool teachers had no items then, for the preschool law was passed only in 2012. A MOA to continue the project in primary school would have even prove that the Pagsasarili curriculum not only prevents Grade 1 drop-outs but could satisfy better the enormous reasoning power of the Grade 1 to 3 students.

But in 2010, all were given items to teach in primary schools.  They abandoned the Pagsasarili materials, leaving them to untrained preschool teachers.  It is only the Concepcion South Elementary School in Tarlac that remains and the laboratory school of Cadiz Normal University - fully supported and financially sustained by parents.  Three sessions in two classrooms work out daily.

This incident has set back greatly our goal of providing quality education.  Our Pagsasaili products generally achieve third grade competencies and can speak English.

Quality education in the unesco world heritage sites of Ifugao

During my term as UNESCO Secretary-General of the Philippine National Commission, UNESCO’s thrust to preserve the Ifugao Heritage Sites included the education of their children as a means of passing on their traditions and culture. In 2003, we managed to get funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to set-up six Pagsasarili Preschools opened in the Ifugao Province Lagawe, Kiangan, Banawe, Lamut, Mayoyao and Asipulo. The municipalities of Alfonso Lista and Hungduan soon followed suit with the initiative of their municipal mayors.

They came for two consecutive summers to our headquarters in Greenhills, San Juan to be trained on enhancing their DSWD day care service with the Pagsasarili system.  The Pagsasarili Preschools in Banawe, Lamut, Asipulo, Mayoyao and Kiangan continue to exist after 13 years with the support of their local government, through their Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.

Upgrading dswd day care centers of Batangas province with the Pagsasarili curriculum

The implementation of the Pagsasarili system has been most widespread in the Batangas province with the determination of now Congresswoman Vilma Santos-Recto to upgrade the DSWD day care centers of Lipa City, when she was Mayor, and the rest of the province, while she was Governor for three terms. She tasked her DSWD heads to send us batches of 15 day care workers every summer since 2005 to train on the Pagsasarili system. She invested in the classroom materials and even built new day care centers dedicated for the Pagsasarili students. She is proud of the parents who willingly pay P200 monthly tuition fee, making the project quite sustainable.

Alongside the children are the admiring parents and relatives, making a grandmother remark “Ang galling-galing ng apo ko sa pag-aaral, ayos lagi ang pananamit. Marunong pang mag-Ingles, parang anak-mayaman!” (My Pagsasarili grandchild is so well groomed, a wonder in class. What more, speaks Englilsh, just like a well-off child!)  Pagsasarili students are known all over Batangas to have come from barangay day care centers but acquired grade school competencies in reading, writing and numeracy. With Congresswoman Recto’s lead, mayors who came after her and other Batangas LGUs were inspired to continue her legacy. So to date, there are 99 Pagsasarili Preschools in 72 barangays of Lipa City and 28 more in other municipalities of Batangas.

Chevron Philipppines, Inc., distributor of the Caltex Brand,  now  in Batangas terminal, has been serving the communities of Batangas City and San Pascual, Batangas for many years now. In 2015, they forged a partnership with OBMCCFI in 2015 to add 6 more day care centers enhanced with the Pagsasarili curriculum in these communities. They covered the training expenses of 6 day care workers and school supplies for the students and the community members. This project reinforces Chevron’s efforts at corporate social responsibility.

Please join the never-ending task of helping people help themselves to eradicate poverty

My vision has always been to extend our literacy outreach programs. This time, its happening to the indigenous Aeta community in Palan, San Marcelino, Zambales where we have helped maintain the mystical Mt. Pinatubo Hidden Temple Shrine facing the volcano since 1992. So in August 2015, we opened the Pagsasarili Literacy Center for the parents and children here for both the Aeta “kulots”(local label referring to their curly hair) and the regular farmers’ families, the “unats” (straight hair).

Lets go by the UNESCO summons to everyone “Each one, Teach ten.” They could be your househelps, the simple technicians in your companies as well as your province mates all over the Philippines.

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