UNICEF’s School-in-a-Bag brings hope to young learners in difficult areas
Ensuring the continuity of learning for students
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced multigrade schools in the Philippines to turn to alternative means of learning. With no internet or television in Cahiscan, Northern Samar, learners are left with limited books for their lessons. Julas, 10, a multigrade learner from Cahicsan Elementary School, struggled with this setup. When the school started implementing module-based off-campus learning, Julas had difficulty understanding and remembering the lessons in his modules, especially in Math and English.
“My parents are both working, my father on a farm and my mom in a household, to put food on our table daily. They try to help me accomplish my modules as much as they can despite having a hard time reading and writing,” he said. “Sadly, I almost already forgot my lessons from the pre-pandemic.”
Despite the difficulty, Julas persevered to learn and understand his lessons. As a recipient of the School-in-a-Bag project, he and his fellow learners received gadgets such as tablets and other digital learning applications.
A joint project between UNICEF Philippines and Smart Communications, the School-in-a-Bag aims to ensure the continuity of learning for students in difficult areas. It contains one projector, one laptop for the teacher, five tablets pre-loaded with interactive learning materials for learners, a DVD player, USB memory drive and a pocket Wi-Fi. The tablets are also pre-loaded with learning materials developed by Smart and SEAMEO INNOTECH. Also included in the tablets are two mother tongue-based literacy apps developed specifically for Kaaram and Katao, a project promoting mother-tongue instruction.
“The tablet helps me learn better. I love the games and I could remember the lessons clearly,” Julas proudly shared. “I’m always looking forward to the next home visit so I can use the tablet.”
He passed his classes for the first quarter of the school year with a ‘very satisfactory’ rating. According to his teacher, he now submits his modules earlier than he used to.
At first, some learners in Cahicsan did not know how to use a tablet because it is not common in their remote village. The teachers were glad they could help the learners in using the devices. They also discussed with the parents about supporting their children’s learning using the tablets.
“I asked my teacher to help me with using the tablet for the first time. We do not have a cellphone at home, so I do not know how to use it,” he said. “I can now use it. I usually go to the lessons for Grade 4 and Oy Oy game.”
Julas, who dreams of becoming a good soldier when he grows up, is now more motivated to fulfill his dreams. Like the other learners in his school, he is very grateful that they received the School-in-a-Bag which makes learning interactive and fun for children.
For their part, the multigrade teachers carefully planned how to bring the technology to the learners. They conduct regular home visitations to monitor the children’s learning. Based on their observation, primary learners – especially those who have never set foot in school due to COVID-19 – have a hard time identifying and writing the letters of the alphabet, numbers, and shapes. Some of the intermediate learners are also struggling with reading and writing.
Now that they have the School-in-a-Bag, the school introduced Pagbasa sa Bahay (Reading at Home) to strengthen the reading and learning habits of the learners. Primary learners use the Kaaram and Katao apps to master the letters, numbers, and figures. The intermediate learners, especially those who are performing poorly, use the reading and learning apps that interest them most.
As for the teachers, a series of workshops equipped them with the skills to handle learning through the apps. One of the most important things they trained for is preparing fun and creative learning activities to support the psychosocial and mental health of the learners, especially during the pandemic.
During the first quarter of this school year, most of the learners were graded either satisfactory or outstanding for their performance. The school is expecting a consistent outstanding result for the rest of the school year.
