National Literacy Award shortlists Tuguegarao City

By Benjie S. De Yro

Monday 6th of August 2012

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Aug 6 (PIA) -- The successful implementation of the literacy program of this premier city of the Ibanags made it to the list of the five finalists in this year’s National Literacy Awards of the Department of Education.

Marife Villania, city planning and development officer, said the city is now competing with four other areas under the Component City category, which includes Malaybalay(Bukidnon), Alaminos (Pangasinan), Balayan (Bataan) and Tabaco (Albay).

The award cited the literacy program of Tuguegarao, which evolved from the need of coordinating development efforts and mobilizing people and resources to accelerate the rate of change in the city.

“Our vision is that by 2020, the city is literate with Tuguegaraoenos leading happy, productive lives and equipped with a range of skills and competencies-intellectual, emotional and behavioral,” Villania said.

The board of judges, who came over the weekend to conduct validation activities to the various literacy programs and projects and chaired by Dr. Emelyn Libunao of the Philippine Information Agency, expressed admiration over the achievement rate of high school students in the city.

“Your rate is impressive at 84.50 percent. The national rate is only 50 and above and most areas find it difficult to even past the 45 percent,” Dr.Mildred Ibe of the University of the Philippines-College of Education, another judge, said.

For school year 2010 to 2011, the completion rate for Tuguegarao students is placed at 90.55 percent and 71.97 percent for high school and elementary, respectively.

In the city, 99.52 percent of the elementary pupils are in school as against the drop-out percentage of only 0.16.

From a mere P5 million budget in 1988, Tuguegarao now boasts of P1.2 billion annual budget which allowed literacy program implementers to conduct 24 projects and programs considered as Best Practices in the city.

Meanwhile, City Mayor Delfin Ting told the evaluators, education has always been a priority since he was elected Mayor in 1988.