LOS ANGELES, Butuan City - From poor reception to farmcasters’ pace and clarity, these were just some of the issues raised during the mid-assessment of the School-on-the-Air (SOA) programs in the provinces of Agusan del Norte (ADN), Agusan del Sur (ADS) and Surigao del Norte (SDN) conducted by the Information Services Section (ISS) of the Agricultural Training Institute from July 10-12, 2018.

The one-day assessments were done separately in different provinces. For Agusan del Sur, it was conducted at the Provincial Training Center in Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur last July 10, 2018. For Agusan del Norte, the venue was at the Provincial Agriculturist Office in Butuan City last July 11, 2018. For Surigao del Norte, it was held at the Provincial Risk Reduction Center, Provincial Capitol, Surigao City last July 12, 2018.

In Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Norte, the SOA program was on Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP) for Livestock Production, while in Agusan del Norte/Butuan City, it was on Cassava Production. All three SOA programs began broadcasting last June 2018 and will conclude through a Mass Graduation to be held in different dates/venues, specifically: September 24, 2018 (Surigao City), September 25, 2018 (Butuan City) and September 26 (Prosperidad, ADS). Due to their geographical location, it was decided that SOA graduates from the islands of Surigao del Norte will have a separate ceremony in Dapa, Siargao Island on September 28, 2018.

Ginalyn V. Arbutante, Information Officer II and SOA Regional Coordinator of ATI-Caraga, initiated the assessment. Discussions revolved around the following: final listing of enrollees/students, reporting of program status, result of quizzes/exams, issues and concerns, submission of requirements and schedule of post-assessment and graduation. Arbutante told the coordinators at the provincial and municipal levels that for students who missed the weekly radio lectures they can catch up by listening to the audio files provided to all coordinators. Furthermore, she and her farmcasters also took note of the issues and concerns raised by the coordinators to further improve the implementation of the program. During the assessment, Arbutante recognized the efforts of the coordinators especially the Provincial Coordinators cum farmcasters namely: Minda Manliguez (PVET-ADS), Oscar Tuyor (PAO-ADN) and Stella Sabaldan (PVO-SDN).

Prior to the graduation in September, a post-assessment will take place in August for the finalization of the list of graduates, preparation for the graduation ceremony and the consolidation of lessons learned, gains and recommendations as basis for the conduct of SOA programs in the future.