Philippines bike for school programme introduced

Manila: The Department of Education (DepEd) has partnered with Bikes for the Philippines Foundation Inc (BPFI), an NGO, to provide bicycles for deserving students.

Designed as an incentive for pupils to go to school regularly and to inculcate values of environmentalism, the programme is initially targeting students of Baclayon National High School in Bohol in the Visayas.

According to the project’s proponent, BFPI President Joel Uichico, it will not only provide mobility and encourage students to go to school regularly, but also train them on proper bike handling and maintenance.

Some P600,000 (Dh50,769) worth of bicycles will be donated by the foundation.

In a memorandum signing ceremony, Education Secretary Armin Luistro and Uichico agreed to look into expanding the project to cover more areas.

“I have asked the field offices to evaluate their areas to see if their students can be beneficiaries as well,” said Luistro, while stressing that the ‘educational dimension’ of the project must not be overlooked.

“This will not only help them get to school but also provides a way to teach road safety and environmentalism,” he said.

Initially the programme will target recipients from grades 7 to 12, with options being studied to expand the range of beneficiaries.

According to Uichico, the lack of private transportation in the rural areas of the country is one of the reasons why many Filipino students have difficulty regularly attending school in the rural areas and are dropping out from schooling.

“Students may need to walk over three kilometres one way on rough back roads with no access to or ability to pay for public transportation. Some walk greater distances,” he said.

He added that in most Filipino families, a child is required to complete chores before and after school. The school day starts at 8am and runs until 5pm making it necessary for some to walk to school in the dark. After-school chores often leave them with little time to do homework at night, he said.

The BPFI was founded by Uichico in 2010. He sought out his cousin Jo Grant in the US to see if she could get bike donations to send to the Philippines. Grant contacted several organisations in the US to discuss this pilot programme and was able to establish a partnership with Bikes for the World (BFW).