PEDRO ORATA’S LEGACY

Pedro Tamesis Orata, was a known Filipino educator who was a recipient of
the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1971, recognizing his 44 years of
creative work in education. He founded the Barrio High Schools Movement and
Urdaneta Community College (now Urdaneta City University) here in the
Philippines. Due to his belief that “education is for all, for life, and throughout life”,
he was able to inspire students and professionals to give importance to education
and it is a right that people especially children should practice. Together
with lawyers, dentists, engineers, and other professionals, Orata reorganized the
elementary schools and opened the Urdaneta Community High School. This was
the first public high school in the Philippines which was established outside the
provincial capital.

NO STUDENT LEFT BEHIND CAMPAIGN: EDUCATION IN THE

RURAL AREAS DURING THE PANDEMIC
Students are among the most severely impacted and overlooked victims of
the ongoing pandemic, amounting to about 1.5 billion affected learners worldwide.
The shift to distance learning caused major problems, especially to those living
beneath the poverty line. For a country with more than half of the families are poor,
their children’s right to basic education seemed unattainable. The closure of
schools affected all learners, however, unevenly. Students in remote areas lack
access to the needed supplies and gadgets required by the new learning format.
Online classes may have helped stop spreading the virus with its absence of direct
interactions, but it made the digital divide in rural areas more pronounced than
ever.
Distance learning is already hard, but those who are able to continue
studying are still considered lucky and blessed. Many students are forced to stop
studying because of the unfair system we have in this world. This advocacy aims to
shed light to those children whose basic rights are trampled upon. We should instil
in us the vision of Dr. Pedro Orata that “education is for all”. There should be no
student left behind. Learning should reach the most vulnerable, and we are hoping
that the government would uphold these children’s right to basic education amidst
the pandemic. We urge the government and other partners to prioritise giving
alternative learning systems for those who cannot afford online learning; such as
providing modules or study books and organizing learning programs and awareness
campaigns in every barrio, just like what Pedro Orata did years back. Technical
support should also be considered, so that online learning will be more bearable
and accessible to students. It should be effective, as it plays a crucial role in shaping
ones future. That is why it is important for us to reach out to our countrymen in
rural areas and make sure to provide them with equal opportunities and knowledge
to the ones we get here in the city. Let us acknowledge, help, and save these people,
for they are our fellow Filipinos. Their children are also a part of this country’s
future. They should not be overlooked and forgotten, for they have their rights, and
it is our duty to protect them.