Educational
Assistance Program
The
Educational Assistance Program seeks to improve the quality of
public educational system in terms of skill enhancement and manpower
augmentation. Under this, there are four sub-programs –
Affirmative Action, Tutorial Services, Gurong Pahinungód,
and Teachers’ Development Program.
The
Affirmative Action Program helps the 3RD year
public high school students to increase their chance to pass UPCAT.
This is usually a two-week review class conducted by UPM faculty
and students particularly in English, Science and Mathematics.
Tutorial
Services Program deploys the volunteers to public elementary
schools within Metro Manila to conduct one-on-one tutorial sessions
to elementary students who are at risk of failing. They also hold
story-telling sessions for their tutees in order to help them
improve their reading and listening skills.
Gurong
Pahinungód deploys volunteer UP alumni (usually
fresh graduates) to impart new methods of effective teaching;
help public school students to pass UPCAT for even distribution
of slots to all parts of the country; and help the community with
educational and social welfare projects. It has been observed
that a lot of public school teachers are teaching subjects that
they did not specialize in. Also, the student-teacher ratio in
public schools is very high. These are problems that cause poor
learning process because the students are not closely monitored
and teachers have limited knowledge on the subjects they are teaching.
It is for these reasons that the Teachers' Development Program
was created.
Volunteers
are deployed to underserved areas for a year with a monthly stipend
of P5,000.00 and medical insurance. They are also monitored by
Pahinungód staff and UP faculty. For the non-EDUC graduate,
their tuition fee will be subsidized if they enroll in Continuing
Professional Education.
The
Teachers' Development Program sends faculty volunteers
of the University to underserved areas to share academic knowledge
and teaching skills in Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English
and History. This also allows the University to open its resources
to the underrepresented areas, hoping to help them train the future
leaders of the country.
