Republika ng Pilipinas

Kagawaran ng Edukasyon
Tanggapan ng Pangalawang Kalihim

PRIORITIZING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE

LAST MILE SCHOOLS

I. Introduction

Access to quality education is a constitutional right of every Filipino, no

matter their background, distance, or personal circumstance.

To reach out to and close the gap between Geographically Isolated and
Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) to their counterparts in urban centers, the
Department of Education has developed the Last Mile Schools Program to provide
these areas with unhampered and equal access to quality education.

The Last Mile Schools Program is part of the Public Schools of the
Future framework, under the leadership of Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones,
and in line with the Philippine Development Plan 2017 to 2022 under the
administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Since the beginning of the administration of President Duterte, DepEd under

Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones has undertaken considerable measures by
aggressively addressing and responding to the challenges of the times by
establishing a shared vision of quality, accessible, relevant, liberating, and
inclusive basic education for all. From 2016 to 2019, as shown in the table above,
DepEd is sustaining the substantial gains in access to education by providing
adequate education facilities, teaching and nonteaching personnel, and learning
resources.

Programs, projects, and activities so far introduced benefitted the more

fortunate and easily reachable and sustainable segments of learners, teachers, and
other education stakeholders. Though fundamental reforms were instituted, and
main issues and concerns addressed, DepEd recognizes the need to prioritize the
development of the Last Mile Schools – those situated at GIDA.

DepEd Memorandum No. 59, s. 2019 entitled “Prioritizing the Development

of the Last Mile Schools in 2020-2021: Reaching Out and Closing the Gap” was
released in May 2019 to formalize the efforts and make official the actions taken in
line with the Last Mile Schools Program. It itemizes the indicators to be used in
identifying a school as among the Last Mile Schools as well as the specific
programs, projects, and activities that address the needs of the Last Mile Schools.

Office of the Undersecretary for Administration (OUA)

[Administrative Service (AS), Information and Communications Technology Service (ICTS),
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS), Bureau of Learner Support
Services (BLSS), Baguio Teachers Camp (BTC), Central Security & Safety Office (CSSO)]
Department of Education, Central Office, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Rm 519, Mabini Bldg; Mobile: +639260320762; Tel: (+632) 86337203, (+632) 86376207
Email: [email protected]; Facebook/Twitter @depedtayo
 It specifies the Office of the Undersecretary for Administration (OUA), in
cooperation with the Planning Service, to consolidate the plans into one
comprehensive program of implementation.

DepEd Memorandum No. 059, s. 2019 entitled “Prioritizing the Development

of the Last Mile Schools in 2020-2021: Reaching Out and Closing the Gap” was
released in May 2019 to formalize the efforts and make official the actions taken in
line with the Last Mile Schools Program. It itemizes the indicators to be used in
identifying a school as among the Last Mile Schools as well as the specific
programs, projects, and activities that address the needs of the Last Mile Schools.
It specifies the Office of the Undersecretary for Administration (OUA), in
cooperation with the Planning Service, to consolidate the plans into one
comprehensive program of implementation.

In support of this, the OUA released a Memorandum on June 2019 setting a

deadline of submission of schools for consideration under the 2020 listing in the
Last Mile Schools Program.

II. What are the Last Mile Schools?

By recognizing that programs, projects, and activities have mostly reached the
more accessible segments of learners, teachers, and other education stakeholders
for the last three years, DepEd is aware to immediately address the gaps in
resources and facilities in schools that have not met the allocation criteria for
various education inputs. It recognizes the urgency to reach out to and close the
gap between marginalized schools in the rural areas and their counterparts in the
urban centers. Around 15.2% or 7,144 schools have so far been identified that fall
within these parameters. These are the Last Mile Schools.

● Last Mile Schools are schools that have less than four classrooms, usually
makeshift and non-standard ones, where floors remain unpaved and walls
are made of sawali and similar materials.

● They are schools with no electricity, and have never had facilities repaired or
any construction done in the last four years.

● They are schools usually located more than an hour away from the town
center and only accessible through difficult terrain and are located in far
flung mountains and isolated islands.

● Last Mile Schools are schools that have multi-grade classes, with less than
five teachers, and a student population of less than 100 learners, more than
75% of which are indigenous people.

● They are schools that do not have complete sets of school furniture, no
computers, no internet connection, very few textbooks and manuals, and
lacking laboratory tools and equipment.
 ● These are schools where school building projects did not push through
because of problems in peace and order, and where private contractors,
suppliers, and service providers find difficult to access in order to deliver
necessary equipment and services.

III. What Shall Be Done for the Last Mile Schools?

For 2020 and 2021, DepEd will direct a significant number of projects,
programs, and activities to address the needs of these disadvantaged public schools
and learners. The different bureaus, services, schools divisions, and offices shall
work together to plan and implement the programs, projects, and activities that
address the needs of the Last Mile Schools.

● The Last Mile Schools Program will transform makeshift classrooms into
standard ones, ensuring a minimum of four newly constructed classrooms
per school. These classrooms will be provided with standard school furniture,
math and science equipment, laboratory tools and e-materials, textbooks,
manuals, and other teaching and learning materials.

● The Program will bring in electricity through the installation of solar panels
in those areas where electrification has not yet been provided. Computers
and other information and communications technology equipment will also
be delivered to enable schools to be connected to the DepEd network and to
the world wide web.

● The Program will also process school site ownership to enable unhampered
school building constructions, which will include the establishment of an
Administration and Climate Change Emergency Storage and Shelter
buildings (ACCESS) for multi-purpose use. This will include rooms for a
Library, Faculty Room, Principal’s Office, Clinic and Guidance Room, and/or
Computer/ Technology-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL)/Science Laboratory, and
as Emergency Storage for school equipment, tools, supplies, and materials
in case of calamities.

● Through the Last Mile Schools Program, the needed number of teachers will
be deployed and training will be provided for existing ones for better delivery
of the K to 12 Curriculum. Principals, school heads, and personnel will also
be trained for the smooth operation of the school, as well as student-leaders
and teacher-advisers.

● Non-teaching personnel will also be provided for administrative and financial

transactions together with the necessary, appropriate, and timely capacity-
building for the personnel in the discharge of tasks and functions related to
records management, asset management, cash management, and general
services. This will result in the efficient determination and recommendation
of the appropriate budgetary requirements to support the operations of their
respective schools.
 ● Potable water will be provided in the form of deep wells, ram pumps, filtration
equipment, and other sources, together with wash facilities and restrooms.

● With the development of the Last Mile Schools, programs such as the Oplan
Kalusugan sa DepEd (OK sa DepEd), School-based Feeding Program,
Gulayan sa Paaralan, School Inside a Garden, After School Sports, Core
Values Formation, Student Leadership Development and others are
provisioned with funds and properly implemented.

To realize these, DepEd is ready to determine and recommend the appropriate

budgetary requirement to support the operation of these schools. Initially, some
P46.24 billion has been proposed for the introduction of the program in 2020 as a
separate item titled “Last Mile Schools Fund.” DepEd will also enjoin external
partners to deliver services not covered by DepEd programs, such as the
construction and rehabilitation of fences, school gates, dormitories, stages and
multipurpose halls, among others.

DepEd, in all governance levels, shall facilitate convergence initiatives with the
following government agencies to address the broader needs in areas that could
not be addressed by DepEd, including access roads, health concerns of the
community, peace and order, expansion of coverage of feeding program beyond
wasted and severely wasted learners, among others:

● Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)

● Department of Health (DOH)
● Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
● Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
● Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
● Department of National Defense (DND)
● Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
● Philippine National Police (PNP)
● National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)

Part of this is the proposal of DepEd to DPWH of the adoption of Access Roads
to All Learners (ARAL) as a flagship infrastructure program prioritizing
construction of roads and bridges leading to schools.

DepEd will also engage the following agencies in the implementation of the Last
Mile School Programs thru the application of alternative procurement processes
and indigenous or alternative building materials to conform with the terrain and
remoteness of the schools in pursuance of easy access to quality education:

● AFP Engineering Brigade

● Local Government Units
● Indigenous People’s Tribal Councils
IV. Moving Forward

DepEd continues the promise of a brighter future for today’s youth and future
generations. With this in mind, there is no stopping, no sign of slowing down for
the Public Schools of the Future, with DepEd’s masterplan charted for the years to
come.

With singleness of purpose, the Department of Education is steadfast in

fulfilling its mandate of providing better access to basic education for all, and in
realizing this noble goal in the next few years.

Indeed, the Last Mile Schools Program is proof that no mountain is too high, no
sea is too deep, and no river too wide, for those who strive to make a change.

The Last Mile Schools Program will ensure that no youth is left behind, and no
area is underdeveloped, finally bridging the gap and making education truly
accessible to all.