DAVAO CITY –— Going back to their communities after staying inside the cell is a challenge, stigma awaits in the outside world.
But for Mae, one of the 19 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) who availed the basic education through Alternate Learning System by the Department of Education and Culture and the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA), getting out of the provincial reformatory center with the knowledge she learned is a life changing.
Her group completed basic education while serving their sentences inside Montevista District Jail in Davao de Oro last week.
“Makatabang jud ni sa ako sa akong pagpauli sa amo kay naa na koy nahibaw-an (this will be a great help to me because I have knowledge now), says Mae, who completed the course.
She said it is never too late to learn.
The graduates were given Junior High School Diploma and certification for Hair Cutting, which they also get a starter kit as part of the training program.
The PDLs said that they are happy that despite the crimes they committed, they were not denied the opportunity to continue their education.
Jail warden Jail chief inspector Jul Akbar Jamiri expressed his gratitude for the endless support of partner agencies in providing skills and learning opportunities and the importance of education to PDLs.
In her message, Davao de Oro Governor Dorothy Montejo-Gonzaga welcomed the graduates and encouraged them to be better persons and citizens in the future.
“Our mission is that no one will be left behind because of government efforts will continue to deliver public services to the people of Davao de Oro,” Montejo-Gonzaga said. –Eugene Hinutan
