Despite being among the poorest regions in the Philippines, Region VIII constantly ranks high on several public education indicators. [Northern] Leyte, for instance, has constantly maintained its high public education completion rate, currently pegged at 66% for secondary schools.
Because of this track record, the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific (ANSA – EAP) has included six municipalities in Leyte and the charter city of Tacloban in the 4 pilot sites of Checkmyschool.org, a social accountability initiative focusing on education.
Jumpstarting the rollout of Checkmyschool.org in the region, a road show was held last 26 March 2011 in the Department of Education (DepEd) Leyte division office gymnasium in Palo, Leyte, one of the pilot municipalities. The municipalities of Alangalang, Carigara, Jaro, Sta. Fe, Tunga and the city of Tacloban complete the roster of pilot sites in the province.
Over 90 school stakeholders from 24 Tacloban and Leyte public schools attended the road show. Among these are 41 teachers and principals, 19 parents, 25 students, 2 Sangguniang Kabataan officers, and 5 local DepEd officials.
Through its online platform and community mobilization components, Checkmyschool.org hopes to bring better access to information in Region VIII, particularly in the rural areas of Tacloban and Leyte. Infomediaries [information intermediaries], who will serve as the conduits of information between Checkmyschool.org and the communities, will be deployed in the areas identified by checkmyschool.org.
The Leyte visit was the third road show for the project; the first two were previously held for the Baguio-Benguet and Metro Manila pilot areas.
Checkmyschool.org road shows seek to introduce the initiative to pilot regions and present volunteering opportunities to the stakeholders. These objectives are in pursuance of Checkmyschool.org’s goal of creating a constituency of stakeholders working together to improve service delivery in Philippine public schools.
Road show activities include an orientation session, and a planning session to determine subsequent steps for the schools involved.
