QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / May 17, 2013) – The National Youth Commission and the Department of Education launched an ambitious project aimed at listing and profiling all Out-of-School Youths throughout the Philippines for direct servicing by government and private organizations.
Dubbed ABOT-ALAM, the nationwide program targets OSYs aged 15 to 30 years old. It aims to create a comprehensive database of OSYs in the country and to ensure that they are reintegrated to their communities through programs and services of the government.
“Nais nating ibahagi sa 3-4 milyong kabataang OSYs sa buong Pilipinas ang biyaya ng kaalaman sa pamamagitan ng Abot-Alam Program. Kaya inumpisahan na ng mga iba’t-ibang barangay ang pagpapalista ng mga OSYs,” NYC Chairman Leon Flores said.
The first phase of the program is to identify and collate information on OSYs at the barangay level. While the second phase is the Community Reintegration Program which aims to reintegrate the listed OSYs back into the education system whether through formal or alternative modalities.
“Marami tayong modalities kung paano matutulungan ang isang OSY, pwedeng sa DepEd Alternative Learning System, TechVoc Education naman sa TESDA, at pwede ring bumalik sa pormal na pag-aaral. Ang mahalaga ngayon ay malaman natin kung nasaan ang mga OSYs sa buong bansa, mahalaga na maipalista natin sila sa Abot-Alam program. Sa ABOT-ALAM walang maiiwan na OSY, lahat ay kasali, lahat ay dapat mabigyan ng serbisyo sa pamamagitan ng Public at Private Partnerships,” Flores said.
ABOT-ALAM was simultaneously launched in the cities of Cagayan De Oro, Baguio, Cebu, and Davao.
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