The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office X, through its Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), has launched an intensive localized campaign to ensure every child beneficiary is attending school.
This proactive effort, known as “Ali Na, Eskwela Ta” (Come on, Let’s Go to School), targets families whose children were considered not attending school during the past school year.
The “Ali Na, Eskwela Ta” initiative has been ongoing for several years in close coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd) in Northern Mindanao.
The goal is to eliminate, if not, lower the cases of student drop-outs in the months following the school opening.
The core of the strategy involves case managers placing both the parents and the child under counseling sessions.
During these sessions, usually during the Brigada Eskwela, the case managers comprehensively assess the family’s needs and connect them to other development partners for additional support and interventions.
The initiative is in support of the 4Ps National Program Management Office’s campaign, Bata Balik Eswekla.”
A significant focus of the outreach is on families with children in senior high school, as these students make up most of those not attending classes.
These youth often feel compelled to work to help their parents provide for the family, leading them to prioritize labor over education. Other students have stopped attending due to pregnancy or having impregnated a partner.
By addressing the underlying issues through counseling and external aid, DSWD Field Office X is working to remove barriers and pave the way for 4Ps students to return to the classroom.
Photos by Ramon Cagascas Jr.
