Abot Alam scores 1.2M sign-ups

MANILA, Philippines – Out-of-school Filipinos numbering 1.258 million aged 15 to 30 are giving their future a second chance by joining Abot Alam, a nationwide back-to-school campaign of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the National Youth Commission (NYC), supported by Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) through its value brand, Talk ‘N Text (TNT).

Out of the said number, 76,479 are currently enrolled in 44 cities and provinces concentrated in Bohol; Dasmarinas, Cavite; and Nagcarlan, Laguna, while 58,109 went for educational advancement. Over 20,000 more are now undergoing trainings for employment and entrepreneurship.

“Every time the President meets up with DepEd, he constantly pushes for Abot Alam and its Zero OSY Philippines campaign by 2016. All who believe Abot Alam are working anchored on this goal,” said DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro at the Bohol Cultural Center where the entire Abot Alam consortium, including representatives from Smart, vouched to see the goal of Zero OSYs through.

With the fully-functional and highly personalized program offering alternative learning systems, OSYs have no more excuse to not go back to school.

What DepEd did with Abot Alam was to look for beneficiaries and grouped them according to their locations and profiles.

Luistro and officials from the NYC said they chose to formally inaugurate Abot Alam in Bohol because of the inspiring way with which the people rebuilt their lives after last year’s earthquake.

For this, Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto is grateful. “We have always been excited over Abot Alam because we have many young people who do not know what to do with their future. So when Secretary Luistro brought up the idea in Bohol, we immediately involved everybody.”

Tropang ‘Walang Iwanan’

Talk ‘N Text produced a call-to-action music video, featuring Abot Alam’s official song, “Walang Iwanan.” Composed and performed by rapper, Quest, it embodies what the entire project is for attaining the goal of Zero OSY by 2016. The video was first launched in June, during the Tondo Leg of Talk ‘N Text’s Panalo Ka, Pilipinas! campaign, and was heavily promoted by Talk ‘N Text endorser Robin Padilla.

Quest, for his part, is honored to perform the song wherever Abot Alam takes its awareness campaign. “I believe in this cause because this is something close to my heart,” said the “Sige Lang” hitmaker who, in the past, also had to stop school in order to help his family. “You can never go wrong with a project that’s about education and helping the youth become more than they already are. This is why I am very grateful to Smart and Talk ’N Text for tasking me to write this song and help our less fortunate ka-tropas in my own way.”

In a similar way “Walang Iwanan” is hooking up young Filipinos into its catchy callout, TNT endorser Robin Padilla played a key role in the instructional video that was produced to inform OSYs on how they can join Abot Alam.

The actor has waived endorsement fee for this entire campaign. Robin is making sure he is reaching out to all young Filipinos to take the first step in making their lives better.

For details, visit the DepEd Facebook account or go to the nearest DepEd office. Upon registration, those who have decided to give school another chance will be redirected to different learning institutions supporting the campaign such as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other partner learning portals and government-owned institutions. Another registration option is through text message, powered by Smart, Talk ‘N text and Sun Cellular.

Supported by local governments all over the country, Abot-Alam is a nationwide effort hinged on providing both education and livelihood to OSYs.

Along with DepEd, NYC and Talk ‘N Text, the common goal for each and every town is to reach an OSY population of zero come 2016. For this year, Abot-Alam orientation programs have been conducted in Dagupan, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga and IloIlo among other key provinces and cities.

Smart, the only telco partner for this initiative, is a staunch advocate for education, utilizing mobile- and web-based technologies to enhance learning. For more than a decade, it has implemented programs customized to the needs of base of pyramid learning communities all over the country. –(The Philippine Star)