LEARNERS in Palawan benefit greatly from the 196 mini radio stations installed by the Palawan Schools Division Office as part of its teachers on air initiative.

Spearheaded by Rueben Herrera, the school head of Marikit Elementary School in Aborlan, Palawan, the teachers on air initiative started in May 2020 as support to distance learning.

Teacher broadcasters get their training from Herrera and Regional Information Officers. Virtual scriptwriting and radio production training programs were also provided by the Department of Education as early as September 2020.

There are 196 RBI kits being used by learners all over Palawan.

“We know that elementary grade pupils are not independent learners. We know that the parents in our community will also be unable to guide their children in learning. Those were the deciding factors why we opted for RBI,” Herrera explained.

“Our desire to continually guide our learners was the most important thing that we should be doing and we can only do it by teaching over the radio,” he added.

To further guide the learners, MES also introduced the use of a phone patch system dubbed Boses mo, Iparinig mo. Through this, teachers and learners can establish two-way communication, making the interaction easier.

Meanwhile, ‘BidaBest’ (Bida na, da Best pa) quizzes the learners on how well they understood the lecture. A teacher, while on air, will call learners to quiz them while others listen.

A reading initiative which aims to further guide the learners during distance learning by making reading fun, enjoyable, and accessible was also launched.

Herrera urged other schools in Palawan to adapt the initiatives to support the success of the RBI programs.