Koronadal City, South Cotabato – The Department of Education (DepEd) has appropriated a P14,526,500 fund aid for academically poor performing public elementary and secondary schools in Central Mindanao – Region 12, the Region 12 office of DepEd said.

Dr. Luz Almeda, DepEd 12 regional director, said the allocation was indicated under DepEd Order No. 32 issued recently by Education Secretary Jesli A. Lapus who explained that the financial assistance
is in consonance with the agency’s nationwide project called “Turning Around Low Performance in English.”

Almeda said the project is focused on all public elementary and secondary schools which garnered a mean percentage score (MPS) of 34 and below in the National Achievement Test conducted by the National Educational Testing and Research Center last school year.

Teachers and school heads in these low achieving schools, therefore, need additional training programs to enable them to “Turn around in their performance in English,” Lapus said in his directive.

Almeda noted in Lapus’ list of low performing schools in Central Mindanao – which comprises the schools divisions of North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Kidapawan, General Santos City, Koronadal City and Cotabato City – totaled at least 234.

Almeda said the DepEd chief earmarked a unit cost of P8,500 per teacher and school head for five training days and school-based follow-up training.

She said Lapus provided each of the region’s schools divisions appropriate fund assistance for the actual training of their affected mentors and principals which trainings were recently conducted by selected field school officials.

Almeda said the teachers and school heads in the low achieving schools are expected to successfully make a “turn around” in their performance after the completion of the training.