Education continues to offer hope for young people in remote communities, where students, parents, teachers and local officials go the extra mile to ensure that children can attend school and pursue a better future.

Bantic National High School in Itogon, Benguet, stands as an example of how a community’s determination to provide education has helped young people overcome the challenges of living in a far-flung area.

“This school was established in 2007 after the community requested for it so that their children can be educated,” said Emilio Calabias, teacher-in-charge of the school, which started as an annex of Fianza National High School in Barangay Dalupirip.

Calabias said about 24 families sought relocation to Sitio Bantic following the construction of the San Roque Dam, which straddles Benguet and Pangasinan. The families also asked the government to establish a high school in the area, as elementary schools were already available in another sitio.

Nineteen years later, the school has graduated several batches of students from Sitio Bantic, which is about a three- to four-hour walk from Sitio Balococ across the Agno River.

Calabias said the school currently has 82 learners: 18 in Grade 7, 12 in Grade 8, 10 in Grade 9, 12 in Grade 10, 14 in Grade 11 and 15 in Grade 12. One learner dropped out during the school year.

Students also come from Sitio Olig in Dalupirip, Pangbasan in San Nicolas, Pangasinan and Lawigan in Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya. Some walk for hours to reach the school.

“They study here because this is closer to their homes,” Calabias said.

A home away from home

To address safety concerns and ease the burden of walking long distances every day, the school converted some of its old classrooms into separate dormitories for boys and girls. About 20 learners now stay in the facilities, sparing them the daily trek to and from school.

Five teachers also stay in the dormitories and serve as house parents.

Teachers assigned to Bantic face similar challenges in reaching the school. Those coming from Sitio Balococ, Calew, Kennon Road and other areas typically arrive on Sunday to prepare for classes the following Monday and return to their families on Friday afternoon.

“Our teachers from sitios Balococ, Calew, at Kennon Road and other areas. They come on Sunday ready for the school on Monday and goes back home to their families on Friday afternoon. They walk about three hours,” Calabias said.

A motorcycle ride costs about PHP450, making it an expensive alternative for teachers who need to transport their belongings. They sometimes hire motorcycle riders to carry their baggage while they make the long trek on foot.

Dedication beyond distance

For teacher Dina Demot, serving in a remote school brings personal fulfillment despite the challenges.

“It gives a personal fulfillment serving a far-flung community where the children are eager to learn and finish an education,” said Demot, who has been assigned to Bantic National High School for nine years.

She said one of her former students graduated from college, passed the licensure examination for teachers and eventually returned to the school as a fellow teacher. Other graduates have completed criminology degrees and joined the Philippine National Police.

Demot began her teaching career at a private school after graduating from college, earning PHP5,000 a month. After three years, she joined the public education system as an Itogon School Board teacher, receiving PHP15,000 monthly. She was assigned to Bantic during the same year.

After three years as a school board-paid teacher, she became a regular Department of Education (DepEd) teacher, earning a higher salary. In 2025, she was promoted from Teacher I to Teacher III under the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) system.

“Aside from happiness to being part of the education of children from far-flung communities, I also get compensated by the government through my salary. Being here is also less costly than staying in rural areas,” she said in a mix of Filipino, Ilocano and English.

Demot also lives at the school with her two children and two nieces, whom she cares for while their parents work abroad.

“The students here are disciplined, and they are eager to learn so that they can have better lives,” she said.

Helping students learn together

Beyond teaching lessons in the classroom, Demot has encouraged students to help one another through a buddy system in which learners who perform well assist classmates who struggle with their lessons.

The approach aims to help students progress together rather than leave struggling classmates behind.

“The idea is for them to pull-up each other so that they will all progress as learners. I am glad that the school has also adopted the system I introduced which benefit is I think being reaped by everyone,” she said.

At Bantic National High School, the challenges of distance, limited resources and difficult travel remain part of everyday life. But the school continues to provide young people with an opportunity to learn, graduate and pursue careers that once seemed out of reach.

For its students and teachers, every journey to the classroom is a step toward a better future.

Staying in school gives learner more time to study

For 14-year-old Zyriel Garcia, a Grade 8 learner at Bantic National High School, staying in the school dormitory gives her more time to study than traveling home to Sitio Balococ every day.

Garcia said living in the dormitory allows her to review her lessons and complete schoolwork without worrying about the long journey home.

She also said staying at school helps her avoid distractions and spend more time on her studies.

Building the school

Calabias said that when the K to 12 program was implemented, the community requested that the school offer a senior high school track so learners could complete their secondary education without transferring to another school.

The school chose to offer the Humanities and Social Sciences strand, he said.

The school’s original four-classroom building was destroyed by fire in 2019, forcing teachers and learners to make do with the remaining facilities.

“Every sand and gravel was placed in a sack and transported using motorcycle to complete the two stories eight classroom structure that Congressman Yap helped fund for the children,” Calabias said.

The school now has an information and communications technology (ICT) room equipped with a television and several laptops. It also has a library that serves as a reading area and a storage space for learning modules that students can use when face-to-face classes are suspended.

Calabias said the school also secured an internet connection through a provider from Pangasinan, allowing learners and teachers to access educational resources and keep up with current events.

“We are looking for donors of television sets for other classrooms of their grades and equipment for our home economics laboratory and the science laboratory,” he said.

Growing food for the community

Calabias said the school’s 13 teachers, including himself, along with its job order utility personnel, are maintaining a Gulayan sa Paaralan, or school garden, to teach learners about agriculture and provide food for the community.

The school is also exploring poultry and piggery projects to help ensure a sustainable food supply for the small community of 24 households.

Through these initiatives, Bantic National High School continues to find ways to support its learners despite the challenges of providing education in a remote area. (PNA)