MAGIC CARPET TO A WIDER WORLD Students at the Subah Elementary School in Hadji Panglima Tahil, a remote island-municipality in Sulu, eagerly leaf through fully illustrated math and science books. The school's parent-teacher community association (PTCA) acquired the books by raising funds on their own and then applying for an educational matching grant from USAID's Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program. Through its Education Awareness and Support Effort (EASE) project, the GEM Program matches peso-for-peso the amounts raised by PTCAs in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao to establish mini libraries, science laboratories and multimedia centers in their schools. GEM
SULU COMMUNITY EFFORT ENRICHES LEARNING. Student Sharisma Ajing tries out the multimedia equipment acquired for the Subah Elementary School by its parent-teacher community association (PTCA), as school principal Linda Tacata and PTCA members proudly look on. Photo contributed by GEM
HADJI PANGLIMA TAHIL, SULU -- "Reading takes you anywhere" is painted in large letters on the wall of a tiny school in this municipality, which, in most eyes, would appear to be smack in the middle of nowhere.
Hadji Panglima Tahil consists of a small island cluster surrounded by the waters of the Sulu Sea, a long banca ride away from Jolo on the mainland.
Economically, it is isolated as well: Hadji Panglima Tahil has had the sad distinction of being identified as the poorest municipality in the country, in a National Anti-Poverty Commission report published in 2000.
But on this sunny morning, the children of the Subah Elementary School are centered in a different world -- the wider world of scientific understanding and other types of knowledge found in books.
The teacher asks the students what an ecosystem is, and small, eager hands shoot up. She calls on Sharisma Ajing, who stands up and answers crisply and precisely.
Sharisma used to be a withdrawn child, said Linda Tacata, the school principal. "I hardly remember her reciting in class. It was only in Grade 6 that she started to excel," Tacata recalls.
It was then that the parent-teacher community association (PTCA) was able to provide the school with new books and reference materials, sewing machines for home economics classes, a personal computer with printer, and other multimedia aids.
The PTCA purchased the assorted learning tools with the help of an educational matching grant provided by USAID's Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program.
Through its Education Awareness Support Effort (EASE) component, the GEM Program matches, peso-for-peso, the funds raised by PTCAs in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao to improve education services in their schools.
To date, the GEM Program has provided education matching grants to benefit more than 600 schools -- 46 of them in Sulu province -- the PTCAs of which have collectively raised approximately US$690,000 to establish mini libraries, science laboratories, multimedia centers, and other learning aids for their children. The funds raised by the PTCAs have been matched by USAID's EASE program.
"Maganda ang mga larawan sa mga libro, magandang tingnan [The illustrations in the books are interesting to look at]," said Jaser Jalam, a Grade 5 student, turning the pages of a full-color science dictionary.
Previously, the students of Subah Elementary School had only a few shared black-and-white textbooks from which to learn about plants and animals. Now they can borrow attractive new books from the small library established by the PTCA, and read outside class hours.
The school's PTCA also provides fuel for the generator which powers the computer on which the teachers run educational programs, which have fired Sharisma and the other students to learn more.
The determination shown by this and other PTCAs in remote corners of Mindanao in raising funds and applying for a GEM matching grant on behalf of their children is all the more impressive when one considers that many of these schools are in poor communities.
"With the help of these learning aids, our students not only know their basic lessons, but are able to learn something of the bigger world," said Tacata. "We are surrounded by water, but they can still get to know what it's like in other places."
The GEM Program expects to provide approximately 860 more EASE educational matching grants over the next four years, under the oversight of the Mindanao Economic Development Council.
GEM
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