The Department of Education recently conducted a summit for the Barangay Education Strategic Teams (BEST) that it seeks to establish in select municipalities in Samar. Catbalogan City was one of the towns chosen to become a site for this project and will have sixteen elementary schools to be placed under BEST supervision.

The summit, which was held last November 27, 2009 at the Samar National School, also served as an orientation about the goals and objectives of BEST, which also stands for the project slogan “basta edukasyon, sagot tanan.”

BEST aims to integrate the community’s participation into the much greater task of solving problems and concerns of the school particularly with regards to improving the low participation rate and reducing the instances of drop out among students.

Dep. Ed. officials from both the regional and provincial offices cited the drop out rate in the region to be so alarming that it already needs the intervention not just of the school sector but of the whole community as well.

On the other hand, the low participation rate in classrooms may be due to lack of interest among students that may also be rooted, not just on the method of teaching, but on other social and economic factors as well.

In response to this, BES Teams combined the presence of government and school officials with other sectors of the community to come up with wholistic and alternative solutions to problems confronting schools and education in the locality.

It was designed this way so as to expect a variety in plans of action be it in the form of budget allocations on the part of barangay and SK officials, values formation on the part of the religious representative or health and sanitation on the part of the NGO representative. Other actions may be in the form of ordinances supporting school programs and alternative fund sourcing.

Working on the principle that “it takes a village to educate a child,” the BES Team aims to mobilize the community’s support for school programs by enjoining them to assist in its programs and activities.