AGOO, La Union — The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) awarded to this first-class town the prestigious Confucius Prize for Literacy in recognition of the municipal government’s effort to eradicate illiteracy in its areas of jurisdiction over the past several years.

Mayor Sandra Eriguel received from UNESCO representatives a $20,000 check and appropriate citations for their excellent literacy programs which had been implemented by the local government over the past years.

Earlier, the Department of Education (DepEd) elevated to the Hall of Fame the municipal government here in the Class A municipalities and the municipal government of Tubungan, Iloilo in the Class B category for their excellent performance in the implementation of innovations in their respective literacy programs to attain a 100 percent literacy rate in their places.

Eriguel cited the support of the private sector and stakeholders coupled with the political will of the local government as instrumental in their achieving a 99.3 literacy rate – one of the highest so far for a first-class municipality in the country.

Under her administration, Eriguel enhanced basic and functional education literacy program by tapping day-care teachers to be trained as mobile literacy teachers in the barangay under the Kaalaman Mo, Sagot Ko program whereby illiterates are the priority to be taught.

At the same time, the local government strengthened the special education program for persons with disabilities who are blind, deaf or behaviorally and mentally challenged.

The town also institutionalized the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Summer Day-Care and Pre-school program in the villages as well as the family basic literacy program and the Pagsasarili Mother Craft literacy course.