BY GEORGE NAVA TRUE II
KENNETH Surmion of Barangay Bilidan, New Lucena, Iloilo, is a “soldier”. He is a member of the private army of New Lucena Municipal Mayor Leicel Mondejar-Seville.
But the 24-year-old man is unlike any ordinary soldier. He has no military background. He doesn’t wear fatigues. Nor does he pack a pistol or go after terrorists or rebels.
Instead, Surmion’s targets are three students in Grades 5, 6, and 10. And his mission is to help them graduate.
That’s because Surmion is one of the 108 tireless volunteers of Seville’s Learning through Municipal Services Program. As part of the mayor’s innovative program, he and other learning facilitators look after students who are having a hard time coping with modular learning.
New Lucena is a fourth-class municipality in the province of Iloilo. It is 24 kilometers away from Iloilo City and is composed of 21 barangays with a population of over 20,000 people, according to the 2015 Philippine census.
Bad connection
While things have improved there under Seville’s leadership, some areas have poor roads and the Wi-Fi connection is bad or non-existent. That plus the lack of gadgets makes it difficult for students of low-income families to attend online classes during the pandemic.
Modular learning may help, but many students find it challenging. This is because the lack of face-to-face interaction with teachers can make the process boring, tedious, and difficult.
A lot of students don’t understand their modules and their parents are busy working to earn a living. Worse, they can’t answer the modules either. Some students also assist their parents and are employed to support their families.
No support
With no support or guidance from both teachers and parents, answering the modules can be stressful. It can also contribute to physical and mental health problems.
This was revealed by Katie Lear, a mental health counselor in North Carolina, USA, specializing in trauma and anxiety treatment. She said online learning has its benefits, but it has led to the frustration of many students. Without the frequent interactions students have at school from their teachers, classmates, and friends, Lear said they can’t help but feel isolated, depressed, and disinterested.
Besides, the pandemic has triggered or worsened several mental health problems in many people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These people are constantly bombarded with feelings of grief, isolation, fear, and loss of income. The WHO said this is responsible for increased alcohol and drug use, insomnia, and anxiety.
Army of volunteers
With these things in mind, Seville formed her army of volunteers when classes opened last year to make modular learning easy for students. These hardworking individuals regularly go to their assigned students’ homes or see them elsewhere to check on their progress. Problem students are identified by teachers and are the targets of Seville’s program.
“When I learned about the new modular learning system, I was concerned about the students. Where can they turn to for help in answering the modules without seeing their teachers? They can’t go to school because of the pandemic, and those with low comprehension will find it difficult to complete the modules,” said Seville, who graduated from the University of San Agustin and Iloilo Doctor’s College.
“If the modules are untouched, how will teachers grade students? While the former are willing to help, they can’t visit every student. That’s where the volunteers come in. I came up with the program so concerned citizens can visit those who need help,” she added.
No stranger to innovation
The thrice-elected municipal mayor of New Lucena is no stranger to innovation and public service. Among her numerous awards is the Punong Bayan Award of Excellence from the League of Municipalities of the Philippines for exemplary service in 2013, and the Gawad Parangal Award for Outstanding Municipal Mayor in the Philippines in 2010 from the Association of Local Welfare and Development Officers of the Philippines Inc.
Seville is also the recipient of the 2012 Award of the Seal of Good Housekeeping for Local Government for her efforts in advancing the principles of accountability and transparency in local governance.
But she fears that students might give up out of frustration and drop out of school, making things worse for them and their families. To prevent this, she tells volunteers to see to it that students complete the modules and give them to their teachers.
She discourages volunteers from answering the modules and stressed that they are not supposed to take the place of teachers. Their role is to guide students and help them understand their lessons.
Not enough
To encourage her “troops”, Seville gives them a monthly allowance of P2000 for transportation. The volunteers are also treated to free snacks and meals whenever Seville meets them every month to discuss problems and ways to improve the program. While she admits this is not enough, Seville hopes this will encourage volunteers to continue working.
Surmion has high hopes for the program as well and sees it as a way to reach out to problem students. He was part of Seville’s army since it began and is also a student himself, pursuing his Master of Arts degree in Education at West Visayas State University. He admits it takes a lot of patience and determination to be a volunteer but the rewards are worth it.
The right path
“I want to become an instrument and lead students to the right path to broaden their horizons. I want to inculcate in their minds that they should be focused during our discussions. This will increase the knowledge that they can use in life,” he said.
Seville is equally optimistic. Although it’s too early to tell the impact her program has, she believes it will lead to better things and make a big difference in the lives of students.
“Doing something is always better than doing nothing at all. As long as people are willing to do volunteer work for a good cause, we will continue the program,” she said.
At present, Seville needs more troops to meet her target of 200 or 10 volunteers for every barangay in New Lucena. If you are a college student and resident of New Lucena willing to do volunteer work in your spare time to help students, get in touch with the mayor’s office at (033) 3962373 or email mayorlmsnewlucena@gmail.com.
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National Press Club and Philippine Dental Association awardee George N. True II has written two bestsellers based on his popular column that has been running for almost 40 years. For questions about health, email georgenavatrue@yahoo.com./PN
