JeepneEd drives thru Sarangani schools

By Beverly C. Paoyon

ALABEL, Sarangani (November 16, 2011) - A jeepney-turned-science laboratory has started unlocking new ideas for grades five, six, and first year high school students in five public schools in Sarangani.

JeepneED, a mobile science laboratory that runs on used vegetable oil, is an engaging outdoor learning area equipped with 10 netbooks, 3G hub for internet connectivity, and basic science materials.

Sarangani is JeepneED’s pilot site for this first-ever science mobile and technology laboratory in the country.

Governor Migs Dominguez said JeepneED had rightly chosen Sarangani as its pilot site because communities (here) are “hungry for innovation, hungry for development, and most importantly hungry for new opportunities that come their way.”

The governor said JeepneED is “not only to deliver opportunities through a laboratory on wheels. However the real message here is, we have to continuously innovate.”

Shaina Tantuico, JeepneED co-founder, said the project sought to address gaps of science teaching methods in public schools where teachers usually resort to lectures only due to unavailability of resource materials and other exposure activities.

The mobile laboratory, Tantuico said, would stir students’ interest to discover new things from indigenous materials. She pointed out these learning activities “can be integrated into (the students’) lessons in schools.”

Launched on Monday (November 14), the JeepneEd has started serving Malandag Elementary School in Malungon, Alegria Elementary School in Alabel, Rogaya Integrated School and Mangelen Integrated School in Maasim.

Lamlifew Elementary School is also among the pilot community sites.

JeepneEd would initially drive thru these five schools and plans to expand to other schools in Sarangani.

JeepneED is a Philippine-based non profit program that partnered with Quality Education for Sarangani Today (QUEST) and Condrado Alcantara Foundation, Inc. to address deficiencies of science laboratories and teaching methods in Sarangani.

All activities generated from the mobile laboratory would be based on the competencies of teachers from the Department of Education (DepEd). JeepneED only supports teachers by providing appropriate resources to be integrated in their curriculum.

Based on research, Tantuico noted “that the very small solution can really affect students’ performance throughout time,” which she linked to access of books and internet and a mentor to make education relevant, and a really good support system.

“How we can make these solutions to as many students as possible and the easiest answer was to put it on wheels,” Tantuico said.

She explained science was chosen because it “connects us to something both academic and vocational, something that is book-based but also creative and it also connects mathematics and literacy and with all that in a truck that runs on used vegetable oil.”

The mobile laboratory runs an average of eight kilometers per one liter of used vegetable oil.

Erika Pineda, another co-founder of JeepneED, calculated that the P5 per week fee from a student would cover the cost of materials for repairs and future upgrades of the mobile laboratory. “The five pesos allows us to build a system for sustainability so hopefully next year with 2,000 students at five pesos per week a simple JeepneEd will run without any outside donors.”

With the help of QUEST and DepEd, “we will be able to reinvest our resources in making more interventions for quality education,” Pineda said.

DepEd superintendent Allan Farnaso said JeepneEd is “one ingenuity-thinking innovation and effort that serves us Sarangans and that we can do better than what we have already accomplished.”

Farnaso admitted that most of the schools in the province “lack equipment for laboratory.”

Jenielyn Lariosa, JeepneED facilitator, said “one good thing about having hands-on activity is that students have this retention.”

“When we first had this experiment and then we came back a week after, the students still remember what they did and what they learn. With that retention makita natin yong learning sa mga activities that they do.” (Beverly C. Paoyon/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)