SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union - The Department of Education Ilocos regional office (DepEd-1) has recommended the adoption of alternative delivery modes of learning and establishing new schools to address the concerns on schoolless barangays. In a statement issued on Wednesday, DepEd-1 said the alternative delivery modes include the strengthening of collaboration with the community officials, non-government organizations, and other stakeholders. DepEd-1's study, done via the Policy, Planning, and Research Division (PPRD), showed that out of 3,267 barangays in the four provinces, 989 barangays or 30.3 percent are without elementary school. "Consequently, the research also determined the status of the learners from schoolless barangays in terms of access, efficiency, and quality of education during the pre-pandemic school year 2019-2020," it said. The research revealed that learners outside the catchment area or within a two-kilometer radius and one-kilometer radius from a pub