Saturday, April 24, 2010

Quality education from a distance

Profile story for Hilaan National High School, Bontoc, Southern Leyte

“Five peso more and you are will already reach heaven.”

This is a cliché common to most of the schools located in the mountainous part of the Philippines. With schools in this areas, one could say heaven is almost at the tip of their fingers. One of these schools is Hilaan National High School (HNHS) in Bontoc, Southern Leyte.

Despite the 18-km distance from the highway, HNHS has 358 enrollees where majority of the students still excel academically. Even though it costs almost 100 pesos for the motorcycle fare, HNHS actively participates in the secondary activities organized by Department of Education (DepEd). They do not just participate, they also win.

The distance and the road going to HNHS is both a curse and a blessing. A curse because of the bumpy ride, the rocky roads and the apparent danger because of the cliff on the road sides. Passing through these roads is sometimes next to impossible if there is a heavy rain downpour. At the same time, most of the teachers of HNHS consider the distance as a “blessing” instead.

The location of Hilaan National High School subjects HNHS to be exempted of periodic visits from the regional office of DepEd. Being exempted means lesser expenses and lesser class interruptions as observed by the students and teachers alike. Even though they often get exempted, it does not mean that the quality of their education is of less quality compared to those schools from the city.

In addition to proving the fact that distance is not a hindrance to quality education, HNHS has been chosen as a recipient school of the iSchools project. This project of President Gloria Arroyo is being implemented by the Commission of Information and Communication Technology (CICT) in partnership with the different state universities and colleges of the country. The project gives twenty one computers to the recipient school and an internet connection.

With the internet connection and the state-of-the-art computers given by the iSchools project, HNHS will now be more connected with world. It will not just encourage the students to do better; it will also improve the quality of education.

HNHS, being a recipient of the iSchools project, implementing and sustaining the project itself needs strong leadership to guide the school in this big opportunity. HNHS is lucky to have Ms. Evangeline Maraon as their head teacher. She does not just have the convincing power of a saleswoman; she also has this strong connection with the local government officials. It helps a lot to have a strong rapport especially in asking for financial support. HNHS is also gifted with dedicated and talented teachers.

Strong leader, dedicated teachers and students that excel: these are just but some of the assets of Hilaan National High School. These assets help HNHS to prove to the world that despite the distance, quality education is still at reach. Just like the cliché that heaven is at the tip of the fingertips, so is quality education for HNHS.

VSU’s pride: quality education and the beauty of nature at its best

These pictures are the result of our discussion in photojournalism under the close eye of Jimmy Domingo. During the Basic Online Writing Technique in Visayas State University from April 21-24, 2010.


This students are on their to quality education. the bridge will lead them to the College of Engineering where summer classes are currently held.


Visayas State University (VSU) - where beauty is at its best. VSU is situated between the mighty Pangasugan Mountain still with its virgin forest and the Camotes sea with its clear, clean and blue waters. VSU envisions to provide excellence in human capital with its quality education while providing its community with paradise-like environment.


The historical frogs of VSU. This is donated by class 1959-60 of VSU when its name was still Baybay Agricultural College. The water coming out from the mouth of the frogs has quenched the thirst of many students and visitors of VSU.

My last stand

If I am to make a gadget, it would be a make-up-your-mind-danator. Why? Because I cant seem to make up my mind. I need a gadget so that when I hit a button, voila! A decision is made. Oh how I wish decision making would be this simple.

What is there to make up my mind for anyway? I needed to make up my mind whether to attend the Commitment Setting and Planning Workshop for the iSchools Writers in Manila or to go to Cebu or to finish checking the works of my students.

Just like anybody else, decision-making needs careful assessment of the consequences of saying yes or no. If I am to stay in school and continue checking the students’ works, I can submit grades on time but I will miss the opportunities and the responsibilities that entails of being an iSchools writer. And I love being a writer. If I am to go to Cebu and attend to my personal stuff, submission of grades will be delayed and I will still miss the meeting of the iSchools writers. Decisions… decisions…

That is why I need to invent my make-up-your-mind-danator. Kidding aside, I remember a quote by an American entertainer Peter Marshall.

“Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.”

So, I decided to attend the meeting in the University of the Philippines-Diliman. I made my stand. The meeting-workshop in Manila will give the participants like me a clear idea of how it is to be an iSchools writer. It will also point out the responsibilities and benefits that goes along with being a writer for iSchools. I know it would be difficult. I am pretty sure of it. But, I have to stand for something or else, I would surely fall for anything. See, the gadget did the trick! I arrived at a decision.

Off I traveled and arrived in Manila on the 14th of March. Attended the training on the 15th and met wit the other would-be iSchools writers. Others are determined to be a writer already while some, like me, are still caught up in the height of work and personal conflicts.

During the meeting, I finally come to terms with myself. An introduction made by Ms. Rosella Torrecampo, one of the training speakers, is from the Greek Oracle of Delphi, “Gnothi se auton.” In English, know thyself. Indeed! If I know myself better, it would not have been hard on my part to decide which is which. If I know myself better, I would know what things I should stand for. I would have known that I can multitask and I can work even under pressure.

Although I cut short by one day on the meeting to go to Cebu, I submitted the required outputs. While I was in Cebu, I checked my students’ works from time to time. All is well that ends well. I get to attend the workshop, I went to Cebu and I even managed to check the works of my students. The bonus is I get to know myself better and that is because I made my last stand: that is to fully accept of being an iSchools writer.