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Goducate trains displaced Marawi mothers to teach basic literacy

Goducate has lost no time in starting its program of bringing basic literacy education to the children of Marawi who have been displaced by the 5 months of fighting there between the Philippines government and ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). The city has been badly destroyed, and some 400,000 people have been displaced (see blog, Sept 30). The displaced families have no income, and their children have stopped schooling.

Goducate’s program is to teach mothers who have had some education how to teach basic literacy to their own and to neighbouring children. Goducate has been using this program for 8 years in Sabah, East Malaysia, for the people known as “undocumented aliens”, who have no access to state education.

Potential trainers undergoing training
Potential trainers undergoing training

To start off the program for the people displaced from Marawi to Iligan, Goducate’s teacher-trainers from the Sabah team conducted a 2-day (Oct 17-18) trainers-training program for 10 local leaders in Iligan City. These leaders will then train mothers in evacuation centers how to teach basic literacy using the Goducate curriculum, materials, and other supplies.

Mothers at training
Mothers at training

The month-long Basic Literacy Training for Mothers started on Oct 19 in Ceanuri Evacuation Center.  The trainees were 40 energetic mothers. So far, the trainees have given positive feedback. They find the program interactive and enjoyable.  They say that the lessons and activities they have learned are easily transferable to their children.  They affirm that the Basic Literacy Program is needful and is a big help for their family.

Mothers responding during interactive lesson
Mothers responding during interactive lesson

 

 

*Our guest writer is Joanna De Leon, a community development worker

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Alternative learning system (ALS)

Many people have asked me “After your students graduate from your Goducate literacy program, where do they go?” This is a very needful question to ask, seeing that we presently have almost 1000 undocumented alien children (ie, illegal immigrants) in our Goducate literacy programs in East Malaysia. As almost all of these kids are originally from the Philippines or descendants of Filipinos, we hope to help them to get an education that will allow them to go back to the Philippines to finish their education and hopefully get gainful employment there or in other countries.

We hope that all our graduates who have already learned to read and write and mastered elementary mathematics will be able to continue their education through a program that has been developed by the Philippines Department of Education (DepEd). This system called “Alternative Learning System” (ALS) was developed because only 65% of Filipinos who enter Grade 1 finish Grade 6 and only 45% finish high school. A major reason for this is poverty and the need for children to help earn income for their families. Many children in farming communities are pulled out of school by their families to help during harvest season, and are then unable to return to school because they have fallen out of the formal schooling system.

ALS allows children to catch up according their own abilities and diligence using modules produced by DepEd. These modules are made available in soft-copy for the user to download. Past experience has shown that matured students can cover much ground at great speed because of their motivation, more matured minds and prior non-formal learning experiences. For example, one of our Goducate students was able to go from illiteracy to Grade 9 in just over a year!

ALS students can take DepEd approved tests that qualify them for a Philippine nationally recognized high school diploma, which will allow them to apply for college entry.

Our dream is to see our first Goducate student from Sabah enter a college in the Philippines in the near future. A kind Filipino businesswoman has promised to sponsor Goducate students who gain entry into college.

The dream of helping every poor child get a decent education is fast becoming a reality!