Sakay Eskwela Program
“Mag-eskwela…Magtuon…Mag-alam,
Mangin Bugal Sang Inyo Ginikanan…“
The Performance Indicators in the Secondary Schools in the Province of Guimaras for the past years fell short of the Standard set by the Department of Education in terms of Participation Rate, Completion Rate, Cohort Survival Rate, Repetition Rate, and Simple Drop Out Rate, as follows:
| INDICATOR | SY 2004-2005 | SY 2005-2006 | SY 2006-2007 | SY 2007-2008 | STANDARD |
| Participate Rate | 43.87% | 48.05% | 46.12% | NA | 77.73% |
| Completion Rate | 61.10% | 47.08% | 65.72% | NA | 69.32% |
| Cohort Survival Rate | 64.75% | 50.09% | 68.21% | NA | 77.26% |
| Repetition Rate | 2.48% | 4.91% | 5.32% | NA | 1.28% |
| Simple Drop Out Rate | 5.63% | 5.31% | 4.99% | NA | 2.00% |
| Enrolment | 12.240 | 11.201 | 10.920 | 11,039 |
Source: DEDP CU 2008-2011
Along this line, the downward trends of enrolment from school year 2004 to 2007, despite the noted slight increase in school year 2007-2008, had been alarming considering that out of projected total population of 16,044 within the age range of 12 to 15, more than ½ (8,644) are out-of-school youth or still in elementary grades. The low participation and completion rate in Secondary Schools could be attributed to poverty – a sad reality that may shatter the hope of one family to send a child to school. Parents shall have to reckon with the necessary and incidental expenses such as, but not limited to, uniforms, supplies, projects, allowances and transport fees. These expenses could appear more with the worsening economic situation in the country.
It is on this note that Congressman JC RAHMAN A. NAVA, MD , and Governor FELIPE HILAN A. NAVA, MD, conceived and implemented the Sakay Eskwela Program aimed at subsidizing the one way fare of every High School student (including those in Private Schools under the contracting scheme) in the Province of Guimaras through Coupon System, with the vision to improve the enrollment, participation rate, completion rate and other performance indicators of all secondary schools in the Province as to effect substantial improvement in this particular sector of the community.
At present, there are seventeen (17) Public Secondary Schools that are benefited by the Program, five (5) in the Municipality of Buenavista, two (2) in Jordan, five (5) in Nueva Valencia, three (3) in Sibunag and two (2) in San Lorenzo, Guimaras.
The Project is a product of coordination and series of consultation with the DepEd, Transport Group, Local Government Officials, National Government Agencies, Parents-Teachers-Community Associations, and many others.
Budget
Based on the data provided, to include the recent enrollment data, the program requires a budget allocation of 18 to 20 Million a year with an average cost of fare of that ranges from P5.00 to P20.00 per student (one way). The Sakay-Eskwela Program will be funded by the Priority Development Assistance Fund of Congressman JC Rahman A. Nava, MD, released through the Provincial Government of Guimaras under the leadership of Governor FELIPE HILAN A. NAVA, MD.
