It was my first visit in Green Valley, a far off place in the
mountainous part of Kiamba where Tbolis live; and it was also my first mountain
climb and motocross-like “habal” ride ever. The terrain was worst than I
thought. Some of my classmates had fallen from their rides. We ventured up and
down on very rough and muddy roads along the virgin forest. It was drizzling at
first then rain poured that added challenge to the trail. When we were about to
reach the destination, our exhaustion was quenched by the waving hands and
smiling faces of the Tboli children peeping from inside their small houses.
Finally, when we arrived at Green Valley, some children were having the Summer
Class for Over Age through Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM). I was taken aback
at how small and informal their classrooms are. That one where the summer class
was held hangs in a cliff and the others are teachers’ tiny houses made into
makeshift classrooms. The dedication and commitment of the teachers of Green
Valley Primary School are priceless. It’s no joke to climb/ride to and fro the
rocky and muddy mountains for almost four hours; sleep like it is always
camping time; have no formal classrooms; expect unpredictable climate; educate
tabulae rasae who only have their lingua franca; and adjust to their culture.
Some children go to Green Valley dawn of Sundays and arrive
there at late afternoon just to attend their classes by Monday. They pass mountains
and rivers just to have education. Away from their houses they temporarily
reside on Aunt’s/Uncle’s houses nearby or within the school premises. Other
children take a long walk before attending school. While walking, they tend to
eat their “baon” and when they reach their classrooms, they tend to request
food to replace what was eaten during the walk. (no edits, just love)
