Community-based peer teaching for Baguio youth in place

The Baguio City Council has approved on third and final reading the ordinance penned by Sangguninag Kabataan Federation President Levy Lloyd Orcales seeking to establish a community-based peer teaching and tutorial program for students in the city. 

    Orcales has adopted the proposal introduced by the youth leaders of Irisan Barangay through its Sangguniang Kabataan headed by SK Chairperson Carla Joy Cacho and Youth Officers Cheralyn Kate Dumapis, Neonick Kindipan, and Gwyneth Pooten.

    The measure seeks to address the burden of the youth in complying with the requirements of modular and online learning and to sustain the quality of learning under the new normal set up. 

    “There is an urgent need to strengthen community-based support groups that will promote interactive learning and targeted tutorials through the institutionalization of a community-based peer teaching and tutorial program in the city,” Orcales wrote in the ordinance.

    The program aims to ease students’ academic woes caused specifically by limited interaction between students and teachers, poor peer communication, inadequate learning resources, conflict with home responsibilities, unstable internet connectivity, financial constraints, physical health compromises, and mental health struggles, among others.\

    Through the program, the community shall be encouraged and engaged in helping learners who are struggling academically.

    The program shall apply to all learners and other education and youth empowerment stakeholders in the city. 

    To ensure that the program is responsive, a peer support group in every barangay shall be created consisting of the punong barangay as the chairperson, the chairperson on the barangay council’s committee on education as a vice chairperson, and the SK chairperson as the action officer. 

    The members of the peer support group shall be the SK kagawads, unit social worker from the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), representatives from the Local Youth Development Council, representatives from the faith sector, and a representative, who is an active teacher, from the Department of Education (DepEd) or from any school within or near the barangay.

    The barangay peer support group shall schedule tutorials and peer teaching sessions and make progress reports of the students/tutees to be attached to the SK and Barangay Annual Reports.

    Every barangay shall designate an area in any barangay facility where the tutorial shall take place. Families shall be given copies of waivers or application letters to sign indicating that they allow their child or children to join the program.

    Tutors under the program shall earn experience merit to be recognized as a relevant work experience acquired through volunteer work to meet the work experience of chosen employment. The City Government of Baguio shall adopt the guidelines provided by the Civil Service Commission Memorandum Circular No. 14, Series of 2018. It shall be the function of the Division Human Resource Merit Promotion and Selection Board (HRMPSB) under the Merit Selection Plan of DepEd to adopt a formal screening procedure and formulate criteria for hiring and/or promotion, whichever is applicable.

    All individuals who are interested to apply as tutors under this program shall proceed to the office of the punong barangay and submit a letter of intent containing their personal background including educational attainment and contact details. Applicants who are residents of the barangay shall be given preference. The barangay peer support group shall endorse the names of prospective tutors to the Schools Division Office-DepEd (SDO-DepEd) for their schedule of their orientations and training.

    The SDO-DepEd shall train the volunteer tutors or coordinate with universities for the volunteers’ training and check or monitor the quality of the teaching/tutorial modalities, giving technical assistance to the tutors and barangays if and when necessary.

    For hired tutors who seek to continue teaching or formally apply for any available position of the SDO-DepEd, a total of 80-hour teaching or tutorial service under this program shall be considered as a one-month service.

    To ensure that all topics being presented under the program are in line with the vision and mission of education-related policies in the country, the SDO-DepEd Baguio City shall monitor the learning activities under the program and assist all barangay peer groups in the identification, training, and recognition of peer tutors.  

    The implementing Rules and Regulations shall be crafted by the SDO-DepEd Baguio 30 days upon its approval. -Jordan G. Habbiling