Mayor Rivera’s AKLAT Program to raise academic performance

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (20 January 2014)  – In his bid to raise the academic performance of young Generals, City Mayor Ronnel Rivera formally launched the Alay sa Kabataang Generals Lahat ng Alaga at Talino (AKLAT) as part of the Early Childhood Care Development Initiative (ECCDI) Agenda on January 15 at Robinsons Place.

Handled by AKLAT Division of the City Mayor’s Office, the ECCDI program is in keeping up with the city’s mandate under Republic Act No. 8980 or the “Act Promulgating a Comprehensive Policy and a National System for Early Childhood Care and Development” and Republic Act No. 10410 or the “Act Recognizing the Age from Zero (0) to Eight (8) Years as the First Crucial Stage of Educational Development and Strengthening the Early Childhood Care and Development System”.

The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) also partnered with AKLAT Division as the implementing bodies for AKLAT: ECCDI.

According to AKLAT Division chief Rogel Bitoon, the development of children 3-4 years old in day care centers is the focus of ECCDI program, which comprises the molding of their physical, social, emotional, cognitive, psychological, and language areas.

Bitoon said by 2018, the aim of AKLAT: ECCDI is to achieve universal access to ECCD programs which targets that 100% of 5 years old are ready for kindergarten school; increase awareness of communities and families in their pivotal role as primary service providers; and establish mechanisms for the systematic professionalization of ECCD service providers.

Bitoon said the interventions of AKLAT: ECCDI in the early learning institutions of the city includes the mechanism and systems for institutionalizing access to ECCD for all barangay day care centers, uniform modules for teachers-training, children curriculum that will support the teachers’ capability building, and implementation of children’s education methods under ECCDI.

“AKLAT: ECCDI program is more than feeding program or the donation of school books. It is the dynamic intrusion of the local government to prepare our children as early as possible to greater challenges of higher education and global competitiveness,” Bitoon said.

He also emphasized that the present city government under Mayor Rivera is serious in implementing an effective ECCDI that will elevate the standards of the educational system of the city.

“Mayor Rivera eyes education as one of his priorities under the flagship program CLEAN GenSan (Creating a Livable Environment for All Generals towards Nation building) and we are collectively compelled to work with him in fulfilling a better GenSan,” Bitoon added.

Aside from the ECCDI, the AKLAT Division in partnership with the RD Foundation and RCR Foundation is spearheading the armchair donation and PTA donation to the public schools as steps to address some of the problems in the educational sector. (GENSAN INFO OFFICE/ Ian John M. Lagare)