The local government of Alangalang in Leyte will distribute an additional 100 bicycles to encourage poor students to come to school daily.

Mayor Lovell Yu-Castro said that she already signed a purchase request for the purchase of additional bicycles, which will be given to learners who are at risk of dropping out.

Castro believed that giving them bicycles is a form of intervention to address the increasing dropout rate among school children in the municipality.

Local school officials were tapped to help in identifying the beneficiaries for the program supported by the Local Council for the Protection of Children (LSPC) fund.

Last year, the local government distributed 117 bicycles to learners.

Under the same initiative, this year, the local government targets to buy at least 100 bicycles for distribution in schools with a high dropout rate.

“We are focusing on schools with a high dropout rate, such as Alangalang Agro Industrial School and Alangalang Night High School. This is to help students return to their studies and reintegrate their commitment to going back to school,” Castro said.

During the recent Department of Education stakeholders appreciation meeting, Alangalang Night High School was identified as one of the schools in Leyte that need intervention due to the increasing dropout rate.

Reasons include students looking for jobs, lack of interest, poverty, transfers of residence, and family problems.

DepEd Leyte recommended that providing free rides is one of the interventions to address school dropout cases. (PNA)