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Cebu's educators and non-government organizations (NGOs) hailed teacher Efren Peñaflorida's selection as CNN's Hero of the Year by vowing to emulate his pushcart education advocacy in the province.
? He not only made it (as winner of the Hero of the Year honor through online voting), but he is also a big help to education,? said Arden Monisit, DepEd Cebu province superintendent.
Monisit told that he would propose Peñaflorida's project in Cebu province in next week's DepEd board meeting.
He also said the province has their own mobile teachers.
?Although they do not make use of a kariton (push cart), we have teachers who also try to reach out to not only the poor children but also to out of school youths (OSYs),? he added.
Ernesto Jacel, Abellana National High School principal, said the DepEd has its own ?mobile teachers? who visit communities and provide lessons for children as well as out of school youths.
?What we have is the ALS or alternative learning service and we already have a good number of students who are in college now because of this program,? he added.
Peñaflorida, based in Cavite province, created a program that brings books to poor children while the members of his group, Dynamic Teen Co., have brought reading, writing and hygiene to 1,500 young people.
He was chosen as Hero of the Year and was awarded $100,000 after seven weeks of online voting at CNN.com.
Those involved in providing educational services said they were inspired by Peñaflorida's recognition.
Trina Pineda, a professor at the University of San Carlos ? Talamban Campus said Peñaflorida's example showed that education should not be limited to formal institutions.
?Teachers like Peñaflorida remind us that teaching is a work of the mind and the heart,? she said.
Jessie Cubijano, Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) senior program officer, said the pushcart classroom would be an innovation in education so long as the basics like languages, math and science are emphasized.
