DepEd’s Partnership with Kariton Klasrum Going Nationwide

(PNA)– The Department of Education (DepEd) and its partners really want to fully address the needs of out of school children and youths (OSCYs) nationwide, even to the seemingly unreachable places.

Education Secretary Br. Armin Luistro said his department is replicating the Dynamic Teen Company’s (DTC) Kariton Klasrum made popular by CNN Hero awardee Efren Peñaflorida, Jr.

Luistro added that the program provides greater mobility for children-at-risk, OSCYs, and school drop-outs in accessing basic education through the Alternative Delivery Modes (ADM) program which aims to have a 100 percent reintegration rate of the beneficiaries into mainstream or regular schools.

He said DepEd must also accommodate the unique needs of indigenous peoples and special learners,by trying to fit their modes of delivery to the unique conditions of children at-risk, especially those in the streets.

On the other hand, Peñaflorida, said there are already a total of 84 ongoing Kariton Klasrum sites with the goal of getting the children back to school.

”This is not a replacement for a regular classroom. We want to entice the OSCYs to study and after three months under the Kariton Klasrum Program, the students will be evaluated for school-readiness.

“We are never too strong to do things on our own. Your (partnership) presence now secures our future. It is very important,” he added.

DepEd Undersecretary for Partnerships and External Linkages Mario A. Deriquito said that a total number of 106 Kariton Klasrum sites.

The largest site is the National Capital Region (NCR).

Derequito then posed the challenge of reaching out to the farthest areas and “to look for those who have been overlooked.”

Deriquito also invited partners to help in the program, saying,”We encourage companies, organizations, and individuals to support the Kariton Klasrum Program.

He explained help is needed in providing students’ school supplies, storybooks, and daily feeding programs as well as teacher’s kits, slippers, hygiene kits and vitamins.

Volunteers for the projects activities are likewise invited to join.

Prior to the implementation of the program, a full assessment of project sites, a mapping and validation of children at risk on the streets will be done by DepEd in coordination with DSWD and barangay LGUs, who will also provide “tanods” (watchmen) in the project sites to ensure security.

There have already been 27 initial areas which were identified as new Kariton Klasrum sites.

DTC is tasked with training volunteers and monitoring the program implementation, while DepEd takes care of the curriculum and the program implementation per se. (PNA) CTB/LOR