From Batanes to Tawi-Tawi, join Atom Araullo in an eye-opening journey to the farthest islands of the Philippines to learn about the current state of education in these places.
Batanes and Tawi-Tawi can be found in the northernmost and southernmost tips of the Philippines, respectively. Both possess wonders of nature and colorful culture. But there is a stark contrast between the two with regards to education.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority or PSA revealed that the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or ARMM, which Tawi-Tawi is a part of, registered the nation’s lowest functional literacy rate of 72.1 percent in 2015.
With dilapidated ceilings, windows, chairs, and doors—this was how Atom and team discovered the current state of Lawm Sikubong Elementary School, the biggest school in Sapa-Sapa Island. Some of the classrooms don’t even have roofs, doors, and windows. In Bubuan Elementary School in Languyan, classrooms have been abandoned because of derelict condition. Students have to cross the sea just to study in Languyan Elementary School where there are more decent classrooms.
The situation in Batanes is different. Provinces in the Cagayan Valley Region, which include Batanes, posted the highest functional literacy rate in the country in 2015 at 97.2 percent according to numbers from the PSA. In Yawran Barrio School in Itbayat Island, Batanes, only four to eight students use each classroom. They have complete facilities like a big TV screen, projector, and computers.
Whether their educational conditions are easier or harder, students in Batanes and Tawi-Tawi toil to provide their families a better future.
Learn more about their stories in Sa Magkabilang Dulo: The Atom Araullo Specials at 4:30 p.m. today on GMA 7.