SENATOR  Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has filed a measure seeking to institutionalize last-mile schools in the public basic education system by mandating the Department of Education (DepEd) to adopt policies responsive to the schools’ unique operational realities.

Pangilinan’s Senate Bill No. 1842, or the proposed Last Mile Schools Act, mandates the development of tailored approaches to learning delivery, teacher deployment, infrastructure standards, learner support services, and performance monitoring.

The measure also directs DepEd to provide the necessary support, including infrastructure, to ensure that education remains accessible to learners in far-flung areas.

Pangilinan further proposed that the Department of Public Works and Highways construct and improve access roads leading to last-mile schools nationwide to ensure safer, faster, and more reliable access for students and teachers in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

The bill also encourages the Department of Energy and the National Electrification Administration to install electricity facilities, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology to implement communications and IT systems, among other initiatives.

Under the proposed measure, a school shall be classified as a last-mile school if it has fewer than four classrooms, uses makeshift or non-standard rooms, lacks or has irregular electricity supply, and has not received funding for new construction projects in the past four years.

It must also be located at least one hour away from the center of a city or municipality or situated in difficult terrain to qualify.

A key feature of the bill is the creation of tailored programs for learners in these schools.

These include customized learning delivery and intervention mechanisms, school staffing standards, learning tools and equipment, learner support services, and relevant pre-service teacher education curricula and in-service training.

“Education should be within reach,” the senator said. “It is our responsibility and obligation as lawmakers to ensure that there are learning opportunities and established education systems for every Filipino learner, regardless of where they live.”

“By doing so, we are investing not only in infrastructure but in the future of our children,” he added.