CEBU CITY, May 31, 2019 – A genuine desire to finish education led around 10,600 inmates of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Region VII to enlist in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Last May 28, BJMP Region VII officially turned over the lists of eligible inmates to 19 Schools Division Offices (SDOs) of DepEd Region VII, and signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) formalizing the PDLs’ enrollment to basic education through ALS’ Basic Literacy Program (BLP) and Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Program, during the Turn-Over Ceremony of the BJMP Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) for Enrollment of ALS Program and MOA Signing in Cebu City, Cebu.
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs System (PAS) and ALS Program and Task Force G.H. Ambat accepted the master list on behalf of the Department and lauded the massive effort to ensure that when classes open, it is not just for learners in regular schools but for learners with alternative learning circumstances.
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Service (PAS) and Alternative Learning System (ALS) Program and Task Force G.H. Ambat underscored the importance of the Program in giving inmates a second chance at life during her acceptance message at the Turn-Over Ceremony of the BJMP Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) for Enrollment of ALS Program and MOA Signing in Cebu City, Cebu on May 28.
“Kahapon Oplan Balik Eskwela, na-realize ko na itong partnership natin is our Oplan Balik Eskwela for PDLs. We can tell our stakeholders na hindi lang formal school ang in-open namin, pati po sa ALS, pati po sa BJMP. This is us working together for nation-building,” Ambat stated.
Director Marilette Almayda, DepEd ALS Task Force head, shared the Assistant Secretary’s enthusiasm toward the region’s feat and noted that the event is another milestone for ALS.
“Today is a realization that partnership and networking really work. This will be part of the milestones that we will speak of when it comes to ALS. We are happy that you took the time to take a look at our PDLs because they, too, deserve the quality basic education that we accord every learner,” Almayda noted.
Following the turn-over ceremony, Ambat and Almayda joined BJMP Region VII Director J/CSupt. Paulino Moreno Jr. and J/SInp. Medardo Dungog in visiting the facilities and checking the learning resources that will be used by inmates in the male and female wards of the Cebu City Detention and Rehabilitation Center.
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