Jail Chief Superintendent Neil Avisado, director of BJMP-7. | CDN Digital photo / Emmariel Ares
CEBU CITY, Philippines – After producing hundreds of graduates, the chief of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Central Visayas (BJMP-7) said he is now considering the possibility of ‘extending’ the implementation of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) to already include senior high school.
Jail Chief Superintendent Neil Avisado said persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), who avail of the ALS program, will have a better chance of getting their life back to normal after they were released from detention if they are able to complete senior high school.
And in the future, the idea of providing college education to PDLs in Central Visayas may also be considered.
“Sana dito sa [BJMP-7] ay ma-extend yun at mabigyan namin ng kompleto na edukasyon ang aming mga PDL from elementary, junior high, senior high, up to college level,” Avisado told reporters in an interview after the graduation and moving up ceremony for PDLs at the Cebu City Jail’s Male Dormitory on Thursday, August 10.
College education was already being offered in some pilot schools in the country, but Avisado did not specify where.
The ALS program was one of the services being offered by the BJMP, in partnership with the Department of Education, to PDLs in the entire country.
“Ito yung isa sa serbisyo na ibinigay ng BJMP, hindi lang dito sa Region 7 kundi sa lahat ng BJMP facilities dito sa Pilipinas. Binibigay ito para yung stay nila dito, kung gaano man kahaba o gaano man kaliit ay nabigyan natin ng meaning. Nabigyan natin ng solusyon o mabigyan natin sila na maging produktibo sila habang nagstay sila dito sa facility natin,” said Avisado.
The program has been implemented at the Cebu City Jail Male Dormitory for years now.
On Thursday, a total of 62 PDLs received their diploma for graduating in elementary while 139 were junior high school completers.
“After this, nagkausap kami ng DepEd, sabi nila bibigyan daw nila kami ng pagkakataong mag-extend up to senior high school,” Avisado said. | with Mary Godinez, CTU Intern
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