DSWD does house visits to ask children to enrol

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-7 is supporting the government's efforts in making children go back to school, as it launches its own advocacy campaign dubbed as “Bata Balik Eskwela.”

Before the opening of classes next month, DSWD-7 personnel conducted house to house visit to families who are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Bridging Program for the Filipino Family or 4P's) to encourage their children that previously stopped attending school to enrol this school year.

DSWD-7 Director Rebecca Geamala said that part of the agency's intervention is the house visitation to 4P's families whose children failed to attend classes in the previous school year.

She said that during a home visit, the Pantawid City and Municipal Link would talk to the parents and their children to identify issues and barriers that prevent the latter from attending school.

“Once issues are identified, the Pantawid worker would discuss it with the concerned partner-beneficiary especially the children. It is hoped that through this effort, children are motivated to continue going to school and comply with the agreements reached during the home visit,” she said.

Having a responsibility of sending their children to school is actually one of the main conditions of 4P's so that a family could benefit from the monthly educational grant (P300 for every elementary student and P500 for every high school student).

4P's is a conditional cash transfer program of the government (handled particularly by DSWD) that invests on the health and education of poor households.

Central Visayas alone has 279,980 total household beneficiaries; these families comprise the 454,386 children beneficiaries.

Geamala said the regional office recognizes that there are children who have difficulty continuing their studies for various reasons that needed to be addressed.

She said the recently launched Pantawid Pamilya’s Bata Balik Eskwela campaign, which is in partnership with the Department of Education, is intended to remind the children beneficiaries to enrol back to school so that they will fully enjoy the program benefits.

She added that the campaign also seeks to inculcate in the minds of the children the importance and value of education.

“Through this campaign, DSWD would like to bring back to school the 4P's children especially those who stopped going to school,” Geamala said.

As part of the effort to encourage children to return to school, she said school supplies and materials will be distributed to the returning students during the opening of classes for school year 2019-2020.

“In coordination with the DepEd during the Brigada Eskwela, DSWD installed the Pantawid Pamilya help desk to encourage the parents and their children to enroll in the incoming school year,” Geamala said.

The DSWD-7 has been accepting donated school supplies from various groups that are interested in getting involved in the effort to bring children back to school and help them continue pursuing their education. They would receive donations until May 31. (FREEMAN)