Cordillera Administrative Region –The Department of Social Welfare and Development in collaboration with the Department of Education (DepEd) here has launched an advocacy campaign to ensure that children beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) are sent back to school.
Dubbed Bata Balik Eskwela (BBE) with tagline Edukasyon ay Mahalaga Ating Ipaalala, the campaign aims to encourage the children beneficiaries to enroll back to school and teach them the value of education. The campaign also aims to address the number of Pantawid Pamilya children beneficiaries identified as not attending school (NAS). The Pantawid Pamilya operationally termed these children as “consistently not attending school” or those who have not been attending school for at least three (3) consecutive months in a given school year.
“The campaign is a strategy to motivate our children beneficiaries in the region who stopped from school due to various factors. Our staff will be working closely with our partner agencies to provide interventions to the needs of these children. We are hopeful that through these initiatives, our children will be inspired to continue going to school.” Regional Director Janet Armas said.
Pantawid Pamilya Coordinator Fatima Florendo furthered, “Our partners at the Provincial and Municipal Operations Offices will also be coordinating with our DepEd partners to conduct school and home visits to our NAS children. We will meet parents of these children through home visits and through the monthly Family Development Sessions.”
In the Cordillera, Pantawid Pamilya has recorded 11,125 NAS children as of March 2019, which is about 9% of the total 116,389 children beneficiaries being monitored for education compliance. Working children, lack of interest to go to school, and parental decision are among the top pressing issues that caused the children beneficiaries in the region to stop from school.
Meanwhile, the DSWD’s BBE will be converged with the DepEd’s 2019 Oplan Balik Eswkela on June 3-7, 2019 which aims to ensure that students are properly enrolled and able to attend school during the opening of classes. DSWD and DepEd will conduct school visits region-wide on the said dates. ## Marlo C. Abyado, Jr., Pantawid Pamilya, Information OfficerII
