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 public school in rural and urban areas, respectively, had more absences compared to those who traveled nearer hence, the completion of the school year of those outside the catchment area decreases, DepEd-1 said. "Those who are walking have lower grades than those who traveled using their own service and private vehicle and those who availed public transportations," it added. PPRD chief education supervisor Cecilia Rosido, researchers' team leader, said in the Ilocos Region, there are schoolless barangays specifically in far-flung areas that make accessibility of learners to school a paramount concern. "With limited access to school, learners go to nearby barangays to enroll but eventually drop (out) due to transportation costs and allowance, while others decide not to go to school anymore," she said. She added that DepEd regional director Tolentino Aquino encouraged the PPRD to do a survey on schoolless barangays as it will guide the top management in the decision-making processes on the establishments of schools in the different barangays as stipulated by a DepEd order. The provision of the order highlighted that there should be at least one elementary school for every barangay, and at least one high school for every municipality or city. With almost 1.3 million enrollees in the region, 60,984 came from schoolless barangays. (PNA) }