MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has reaffirmed its commitment to improving last-mile schools (LMSs), ensuring that underserved students in remote areas receive quality education.
“Last mile doesn’t have to be last priority,” said Education Secretary Sonny Angara during a series of school visits in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Supporting Underserved Schools
Last-mile schools are institutions with fewer than four classrooms, often in makeshift conditions, and lack electricity and funding for repairs or new construction. These schools are typically located in geographically isolated areas, requiring over an hour of travel through difficult terrain to access.
Despite these challenges, LMSs serve less than 100 students across multiple grade levels with fewer than five teachers, over 75 percent of whom belong to indigenous communities, according to DepEd.
Angara emphasized that President Marcos has directed the department to prioritize these schools as part of the administration’s equity agenda.
“Our school visits in the Cordillera give us hope, showing that the right interventions can translate to positive outcomes,” he added.
DepEd remains dedicated to improving learning conditions in remote schools, and during his visit to Andolor Elementary School, Angara led the turnover of a newly constructed school building to provide better learning spaces for students.
Additionally, he inaugurated a new facility at the Benguet Special Education Center – Inclusive Learning Resource Center, further strengthening DepEd’s focus on accessible education.
Angara noted that visiting different regions each month allows DepEd to gain valuable insights in its ongoing education reform efforts.
Expanded Support Through Adopt-a-School Program
As part of its mission to uplift underserved schools, DepEd announced that 30 schools nationwide will receive P400,000 worth of learning tools and facilities under its adopt-a-school program.
According to a statement from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the agency signed an agreement with DepEd to invest P400,000 per school until 2027.
GSIS general manager Wick Veloso stated that the funds will cover laptops, tablets, printers, and other educational resources.
“The new agreement expands the original 25 schools to 30, building on the adopt-a-school program’s decade-long track record of supporting 165 schools, with a strategic focus on areas impacted by disasters and last-mile schools,” Veloso added.
Congress Urged to Probe Alleged ‘Ghost Students’ in SHS Voucher Program
Meanwhile, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon has called for a congressional inquiry into alleged “ghost beneficiaries” in DepEd’s Senior High School (SHS) voucher program.
Bongalon cited reports that private schools have been listing non-existent students since 2016 to illegally claim government subsidies. He stressed the urgency of congressional action to prevent further misuse of education funds.
He warned that these fraudulent enrollments may have diverted millions from the education budget, ultimately undermining the voucher program’s goal of decongesting public schools and assisting legitimate learners.
Under Vice President Sara Duterte’s leadership, concerns were raised that weak safeguards and poor oversight enabled the scheme to persist. Critics have argued that her alleged inaction allowed unscrupulous individuals to exploit the system.
While Education Secretary Angara has already launched an internal investigation into 12 private schools across nine divisions for submitting false enrollees, Bongalon insisted that Congress must conduct its own probe to introduce reforms that will prevent similar fraud in the future.
Beyond the SHS voucher anomalies, Bongalon suggested that a larger pattern of financial mismanagement under the Duterte administration is emerging.
“Remember retired police officer Arturo Lascañas’ testimony in 2017, where he revealed that funds for supposed ‘ghost employees’ in Davao City – during Rodrigo Duterte’s mayoral tenure – were used for clandestine operations?” Bongalon said.
As DepEd strengthens its efforts to prioritize last-mile schools and address systemic issues, transparency and accountability remain crucial in ensuring education funding reaches those who need it most.
