Jeffrey Arcinal, 21, eldest in a family of four, is one of the 14,000 out-of-school youth (OSY) beneficiaries in the Out-of-School Youth Servicing Towards Economic Recovery (OYSTER) program. He was given work as utility worker in San Agustin Elementary School in San Fernando City. “This job is a timely blessing for my family, now we’ll have something for noche Buena.” He added that he’ll save some of his earnings to continue his education: “Finding employment is hard so when I get my paycheck I will use it for an electronics course in TESDA.”

Many families of out-of-school youths in Tarlac and Pampanga celebrate a happier Christmas this year as the government pumped in some P56.5 million for employment and livelihood projects this holiday season.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus was assigned steward of Tarlac and Pampanga who was also directed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to implement pro-poor programs in all regions to mitigate the effects of the global economic crisis.

Lapus said, “This program will have a multiplier effect on the local economy as it will lead to the creation of more jobs and the generation of additional income.” “We hit two birds with one stone in these projects. We do not only offer income to our out-of-school youths but we also address the health and hygiene needs of our students,” Lapus noted.

Beginning November, DepEd has deployed some 1,500 OSYs as utility workers in public schools while more than 12,300 OSYs are beneficiaries in the production of health soaps for school children. They come from the districts or barangays where the schools are located.Help Becomes Handy The utility workers were assigned in 1,200 elementary and secondary schools under the Divisions of Angeles City, Pampanga, San Fernando City, Tarlac and

Tarlac City. The project has been earmarked a budget of P7.5 million. “You see, we have very large schools and the OSYs we hired are indeed a big help for the upkeep of the school and its vicinity,” said Assistant Secretary

Santos added that the new hires are particularly helpful in the prevention of dengue in the schools as they were given instructions to clean the surroundings and ensure that the breeding grounds of mosquitoes are destroyed. They also do daily cleaning, particularly of the toilets, and minor repairs of wobbling chairs and tables.

“Before, the students are the ones responsible for the upkeep of their respective classrooms, but now with the OSYs in our schools, our students can better focus on their studies while our teachers can begin the classes promptly,” Santos shared. San Agustin Elementary School Principal Graciela Subala affirmed: “Our school was among those affected by dengue a few years ago. So the two OSYs we got for the school became handy in ensuring cleanliness of the surroundings such as proper waste segregation, maintenance of sanitation in the toilets, and clearing of stagnant water.” 

“The OYSTER program has really benefited our school. But what is also important is that there are families who are made even happier this Christmas because of the job opportunity opened to the OSYs,” said Subala. “These workers showed enthusiasm in their work, “noted San Fernando City Superintendent May Eclar. “They clean the school even before classes start and they are the last people out as well.” The San Fernando City division has 54 OSYs as utility workers.Cash in soaps Meanwhile, under the cash-for-health-care livelihood project, some 12,300OSYs are expected to start producing bars of Citronella, Acapulco/Guava, and Calamansi soap in January 2009. They have already been trained on how to prepare the medicinal soap as formulated by the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC).

Sec. Lapus explained: “The medicinal soap they will produce will be given to public elementary school pupils who will receive their year’s supply of four bars of Citronella soap for their head lice, four bars of Acapulco or Guava soap to combat skin diseases, and twelve bars of Calamansi soap for personal hygiene.

Through time-motion studies by the Department, each OSY is expected to earn P4,000 for making 2,000 bars of soap. All raw materials will be provided by DepEd. The 20-day production period will yield about 24.6 million bars, which will benefit more than 1.2 million children in Region III. Studies showed that 46% of children in Region III have pediculosis or head lice while 40% have skin diseases.

School nurses were earlier given training on soap making. Those who have been assigned to train OSYs had refresher courses from DepEd Health and Nutrition Center in coordination with the PITAHC of the Department of Health.  “This livelihood was inspired by school nurses in Maguindanao who after being trained in soap-making ventured into business to fund some clinic expenses such as medicines and supplies. They sell the soaps they produce to the teachers in their schools,” shared Santos. She added, “In the future, the department may be looking at this region as the main supplier of health soaps for our school children. PTCAs may get fundingcapital thru micro financing scheme under the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program to produce the health soaps.” Lapus believes that the soap-making venture can be a sustainable livelihood project. “There is a real need to produce medicinal soap at a minimal cost tokeep our school children free from head lice and skin diseases,” the education chief said.

He added, “We can tap partners in the community who can take this project to the next level. We see the local government units who are always in the lookout for livelihood opportunities and the private sector which can also pitch in to better improve the technology and marketing.”

Dr. Elena Herrera, Principal of San Fernando Elementary School has high hopes for the soap-making project. “Our students have a real need for these health soaps,” she said.

Sammy Sampang, Alternative Learning System (ALS) Education Supervisor in San Fernando City led the selection of OSY to be employed. “I told our district coordinators to seek those who really need this employment and cross-check their lists with the barangay officials since we were given direction to be very selective,” Sampang disclosed. 

Filipinos always look forward to a joyful holiday celebration – and they include the thousands of OSYs beneficiaries under the OYSTER project. Just like Jeff who will be assured that there will be food on the table this Christmas season.

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Seventeen-year old Christian Kimtaruc was giddy. He received his paycheck just before Christmas for which he brought home an LPG tank for his mother.

“She will not use coal anymore,” he shared. Kimtaruc stopped schooling during his third year in high school because of poverty. He was among the 14,000 out-of-school youth beneficiaries in Tarlac and Pampanga who were given work after qualifying in the government’s Out-of-
School Youth Servicing Towards Economic Recovery (OYSTER), an emergency employment and livelihood project.

As utility worker for San Roque Elementary School in San Luis, Pampanga, he learned gardening, painting, fixing chair and other furniture. “Instead of being a bum I had to wake up early and learned to be more productive,” he declared. Now he enjoys gardening and has since grown pechay and eggplant on his own backyard.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said these OSYs have experienced helping their families and doing service for the community. The project was earmarked a budget of P7.5 million.
Project OYSTER stemmed from the directive of President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo to implement pro-poor programs in all regions to mitigate the effects of the global economic crisis. Lapus served as steward for Tarlac and Pampanga. Since November, DepEd has sent some 1,500 OSYs as utility workers in public schools while more than 12,300 OSYs will start in January the production of medicinal soap for school children.

Emanuel Sanchez, Alternative Learning System (ALS) coordinator and Industrial Arts teacher in San Luis District in Tarlac explained, “We selected the really poor people and those we see fit to work as utility in the schools.”  Some schools like San Roque E.S., because of its small population, had no utility person. “The teachers like us or members of the community had to do the 
part in school maintenance. So these OSYs were really a big help,” Sanchez shared.
Sammy Sampang, ALS education supervisor in San Fernando City said that OYSTER project used stringent screening process so that only those who are qualified are taken in to the program. “We even had to validate and cross check with the barangay officials the list of participants to the OYSTER project,” Sampang disclosed.

Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio lauded DepEd for the hope it had rekindled among the OSYs. “May this project lead the beneficiaries to a more productive life,” he said. Tarlac City Mayor Genaro Mendoza said the project has allowed OSYs to make something of themselves instead of just hanging around doing nothing. He said, “It was very timely and provided them practical skills.” Parent Elmario Higanta, 46, affirmed that the project really helped his teenage
son who became part of the program in Tarlac. He enthused, “My son now knows how it is to work and has learned some income-generating skills.” 

Lapus urged the OSYs to take advantage of other government programs that can help them finish schooling and improve their lives. “If you have not finished high school, take the Accreditation and Equivalency Exam or the Philippine Education Placement Test to measure your life skills and get the chance to continue.

For inquiry email depedcommunications@gmail.com

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Happy New Year Filipino Teachers. Enjoy this season as well as the 1 week vacation for there are lesson plan/guide, class register and class record this Monday.



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It is normal to high school student to doubt on the career they should select once they finished high school. This thing always happens if the students do not have proper knowledge on their passions and interest. Yes the grades are good predictor of student interest but it is not specific. Let say your student are good in numbers. So what would you suggest; engineering, accounting, IT, Technical courses? The good grades in mathematics are too broad against specific profession. Even students who are good in Sciences do not know if they will proceed with nursing, medical technology, pharmacy, biologist any many more The absence of school counseling programs as well as knowledge and skills of teachers on various profession are one of the short coming of teachers. Teacher’s knowledge on professions is specific to teaching profession. Sometime, they do not know what they own sons or daughter doing in workplace.

This article will help your graduating high school student find their careers. There are 6 values that your student need to rank according to their perceive importance. Only the top 2 values are important to them.

Six values or attitudes we all have to varying degrees of intensity. They are Theoretical, Utilitarian, Aesthetic, Social, Individualistic, and Traditional.

The two you rank highest in are your passions, numbers three and four are situational, and you will tend to have an indifferent or negative attitude toward people who are high in those you rank as numbers five and six.

The Six Personal Values

Theoretical. If this is your highest value, you have a passion for knowledge – knowledge for its own sake. Your goal is discovery of truth and you believe everything must be rationally justified. You like doing research, reading, studying, learning. You believe as Frances Bacon did that, "Knowledge is power."

Utilitarian. Your goal is utility and what is useful. You are practical and will maximize your assets. Your passion is a return on investment of your time, talent, or resources. You will enjoy a career in sales or become a CEO or an entrepreneur. You measure your success by how much money you earn.

Aesthetic. Your goal is to experience your inner vision. Your passions are beauty, balance, form, and harmony in all aspects of life. You like for things to run smoothly and may feel more stressed when faced with adversity than most people. You must be surrounded by beauty as you define it. You are profoundly interested in the arts and/or nature and may choose one as your lifetime career.

Social. This means humanitarian, not sociable. You believe service to others is the highest calling in life. You are compassionate and would give your last dime to a homeless person. You must have a career or lifestyle that provides you with opportunities to serve.

Individualistic. You are driven to use power and position to achieve your goals and advance your causes. Your passion is to control your own destiny and the destiny of others. Status and authority are important to you. You will be a captain of industry if your Utilitarian value is also high, or serve in the military or law enforcement if your social or traditional values are also high.

Traditional. Your goal is to search for and find the highest meaning in life. Your quest is a system for living. You believe in a higher order of life and consider yourself religious or spiritual. You like order and structure and need to do meaningful work that rewards quality service.

When we differ with the values of the people in our homes and workplaces, conflicts arise. In fact, I believe our most serious conflicts between people are the result of values differences. Just look at the rancor between those who identify themselves as liberal or conservative, for example.

A deep understanding of these six values and knowing which are your highest can help you in many ways. Application of this knowledge can help you choose a career or find work you truly enjoy; resolve conflicts with others and within yourself; hire, manage, or mentor others; achieve more personal growth; and decide which direction to go to be who you truly are.

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30,000 child laborers are expected to benefit from a training of public school teachers on how to combat child exploitation spearheaded by the World Vision Development Foundation (WVDF) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

"Through this training, our teachers will be better equipped to empower the working children, out-of-school youth, and children at risk and help improve the quality of their lives," Lapus said.

He said that Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Camarines Norte, Cebu, Compostela Valley, Davao, Davao del Sur, Iloilo, Leyte, Negros Occidental, and Negros Oriental are areas with a high prevalence of the worst forms of child labor.

The training of 40 teachers who comprised the first batch runs from Dec 2, 2008 to May 22, 2009 in Ecotech in Lahug, Cebu City.

The training will enhance the teachers' capacities in five aspects of social development namely research, advocacy, networking, direct service and documentation.

The training series will develop among the teachers a deeper understanding of the child labor issue and the importance of education as intervention. It is part of the ABK2 Initiative or "Pag-aaral ng mga Bata Para sa Kinabukasan." Its project associates include Christian Children's Fund (CCF) and Education Research Development Assistance Foundation (ERDA).

Lapus added: "Educating our teachers, the community and the children on the menace of child labor is very critical to stop this exploitative practice."

DepEd has vigorously pursued non-traditional programs to bring children back to school, specially those burdened by difficult circumstances. Part of DepEd's commitment is to increase the participation and retention rates of public school children.

PNA
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A brainchild of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Hermogenes C. Esperon Jr., "School of Peace" is an add-on curriculum endorsed by the Department of Education (DepEd) for elementary pupils in conflict-areas in southern Philippines, teaching them the importance of peace in class.

Abdul, a grade five pupil at Liangan East Elementary School, is one of the thousands who have benefited from the new curriculum.

For one, the cross and the crescent symbolize two diverse religion and culture, but for young Abdul, a Muslim, they mean "oneness" and the capacity to co-exist harmoniously.

Abdul shares with other students his artwork about peace.

He says peace is about respect for each other, whether one embraces the Christian or Muslim faith.

Abdul believes in unity in diversity to attain a genuine and lasting peace in the country, especially in Mindanao.

In fact, his drawing shows a chain linking a cross (a symbol of Christianity) and a crescent (Islam's symbol) connecting the globe as one people.

Princess, a Christian girl from a nearby school, echoed Abdul's meaning of peace.

A grade six student at the Bacolod Central Elementary School, Princess has emphasized the importance of "seeing more our similarities rather than our differences."

These are words of wisdom uttered by some kids during the focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted here recently.

This activity is aimed at assessing the outcome of peace education trainings given to school principals and teachers who in turn impart the same to their students.

In an area not far from the center of the recent armed hostilities, these schoolchildren are taught the value of justice, tolerance and respect for people's diverse beliefs to live and achieve a lasting peace in this troubled region.

It shows that education is the key to transform the mindsets and attitudes of the populace amidst raging conflicts. The values and skills of peace-building are stressed.

Godilla V. Lao, principal of Bacolod Central Elementary School, shared among her teachers the Peace Education Teaching Exemplars (PETE) by integrating peace in the lesson plans in different subjects in elementary and high school.

After attending the Peace Education training conducted by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), DepEd and Unicef in 2006, she echoed of what she learned to school principals and co- teachers in her district.

One of them was Josephine Viscaya, principal of Liangan East Elementary School.

To reinforce the integration of the value of peace, Ms. Lao transformed her classes into 'school of peace.' It goes beyond academics in molding children the essence of having peace in their community.

This new paradigm involves all stakeholders in the community working together, conveying the message the importance of peace.

The schoolchildren are being made aware that what they learned in class must be consistently applied outside the school campus.

In Liangan East and Bacolod Central, Ms. Lao established a peace park and a peace garden in school.

When Viscaya was transferred to Liangan East last June, she established a peace hub to provide an environment that allows children to nourish what they were taught about peace.

For this creative endeavor, Liangan East has become a model 'school of peace', sharing its experiences to visiting principals and teachers from other schools.

Using PETE and other resource materials, teachers were able to integrate peace values, principles and skills to different subjects. The program also inspired teachers to make their own lesson plans that incorporate peace-related concepts.

A mathematics teacher creatively used the raging true-to-life conflict into problem solving questions in math. After doing their arithmetic, kids pondered on the conflict and gave their suggestions on how to resolve them.

On the other hand, a music teacher promoted unity in diversity through action songs she taught her students. She infused into the songs the idea that no matter what ethnic groups we come from, we are all Filipinos.

For instance, the Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) program the teachers use in dramatization allows students to conceptualize on the essence of unity and other acts of kindness.

ALIVE caters to Muslim kids but welcomes other pupils from other faiths – teaching Islamic language and universal values.

Peace Education Champion

DepEd X Regional Director Estrella-Abid Babano, a peace advocate, has been instrumental in continuously capacitating her teachers and school administrators on the value of peace.

She has been spearheading other peace education activities and designated peace education coordinator per division to ensure the mainstreaming of peace education in the schools' curricula and school events.

Waging Peace

The values and skills on peace-building being taught to the youngsters allow them to contribute in the creation of a culture of peace, and prepare them for a better future.

In fact these school children are optimistic about their future. Their drawings reflect hope of a family filled with love and a community where people of diverse cultures and faiths embrace each other's differences.

When asked why peace should be taught in class, Renalyn, a grade six student, expressed her full support to this peace-building program.

"Kailangang matuto at masanay kaming gumawa nang mabuti para sa aming paglaki dala namin ang mabuting ugali (We have to learn how to do good things so that when we grow up we bring with us our good values)," she said.

Indeed, the future holds a promise of peace not only in Mindanao but the entire Philippines. (PNA)
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