My Mushings

An international jury has chosen  the City Literacy Coordinating Council (CLCC) of Tagum  City in Davao del Norte  as this year’s Honorable Mention winner of  the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)  King Sejong Literacy Prize.  

Tagum City’s literacy program was cited for its Peace Management Literacy and Continuing Education through a Night Market Program. The program uses peace education activities, literacy teaching and business entrepreneurship to generate employment for the marginalized sector. One of its main goals is to sustain a peaceful urban environment.

 Education Secretary Armin Luistro said the award showed how literacy such as basic skills in reading, writing and numeracy can empower people to better direct and control their lives.

“At the end of the day, literacy gives everyone a fighting chance to a better life,” Luistro added.

The theme of this year’s UNESCO International Literacy Prizes is literacy and peace with special consideration to gender equality. It is awarded to individuals, governments or governmental agencies and non-government organizations in recognition of their effective practices and successful results in the field of literacy throughout the world.

Years before 2004, night market vendors belonging to different cultural roots were already visible in Tagum City, positioning themselves anywhere they please and leaving mounds of garbage all over the place.

This prompted City Mayor Rey Uy to introduce the night market program which gave small and medium entrepreneurs the opportunity to sustain their businesses in accordance with an ordinance on the revised code of economic enterprise of the city.

The ordinance also offered a functional literacy program for the vendors which included lessons on values formation, literacy, health awareness, financial literacy and management, solid waste management and peace education.

“One of the most visible effects of these literacy initiatives is that many people visit the night market and roam the city streets without fearing for their lives….and a peaceful community engenders a vibrant economic activity,” explained Uy.

The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize was created in 1989 by the Republic of Korea.

The jury highly appreciated the city’s initiative to introduce and institutionalize literacy programs for out-of-school youth and adults combined with peace education activities.

The program was also singled out for having provided accreditation in basic education and functional literacy which benefitted many graduates.

The CLCC of Tagum City works closely with DepEd in the implementation of Alternative Learning Systems (ALS) on projects such as the Balik Paaralan Para sa Out-of-school Youth, Basic Literacy Program and “Palengkeskwelahan” (School in the Market).

Tagum City was the winner of Outstanding Local Government Unit (Component City Level) and Hall of Fame Awardee in the LCC National Literacy Awards and thus nominated by LCC to represent the Philippines to the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes 2011 with the endorsement of Luistro.