ABSTRACT
This qualitative research design aimed to determine the experiences, challenges, and coping strategies of volunteer teachers on National Learning Camp as bases for program recommendation. Based on the results of in-depth interview, the experiences of volunteer teachers were monitoring of teaching and learning, improving the delivery of lessons, fun and enjoying, facilitate learners’ learning needs, improving the delivery of lessons, limited resources, and building self-confidence. The challenges encountered by the teachers were lack of learners’ interest lack of confidence, lack of instructional materials, and time constraints. The coping strategies employed by the volunteer teachers were seek support from fellow teachers, manage time well, adapt different learning styles, resourceful, and patience and understanding. The output of this study was a program recommendation on creating a collaborative environment on learners’ learning, intensifying teachers’ self-confidence, strengthening the consistency of necessary resources and support, management of time and optimum of human resources, and monitoring and evaluation.
Keywords: National Learning Camp, Volunteer Teachers Experiences, Program Recommendations
INTRODUCTION
National and International Assessments, such as the National Achievement Test (NAT) and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), have consistently revealed alarming trends in reading proficiency and numeracy among Filipino learners. These assessments indicate that a significant portion of learners fall below proficiency levels, hindering their academic progress and prospects.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is prioritizing improvements in literacy and numeracy programs, as well as integrating “peace competencies,” to ensure that the K to 12 curriculum remains relevant in producing job-ready, proactive, and responsible citizens. This initiative is part of the MATATAG: Bansang Makabata, Batang Makabansa agenda (Duterte, 2023). Aligned with the MATATAG Basic Education Agenda and as a component of the National Learning Recovery Program (NLRP) aimed at mitigating learning loss, DepEd plans to implement the National Learning Camp (NLC) during the End of School Year (EOSY) break for the academic year 2022-2023 (DO 014, s. 2023).
Teacher participation in the NLC is entirely voluntary. Since the program requires teachers to render services beyond the regular school calendar, they will receive vacation service credits, certificates of recognition, and other incentives, contingent upon the availability of funds and compliance with established guidelines (DO No. 14 s, 2023). Partlow (2024) stated that the NLC is a nationwide initiative aimed at addressing learners’ educational gaps through three distinct camps: intervention, enhancement, and collaboration. The enhancement and partnership components, in particular, focus on developing the skills of academically proficient learners. Implemented simultaneously across all DepEd elementary and high schools nationwide, the NLC runs for three weeks. The implementation of the National Learning Camps highlights the essential role of reading and mathematics proficiency as fundamental skills for learners. However, despite these initiatives, concerns remain regarding the literacy and numeracy competencies of Filipino students, as these foundational skills are critical to all areas of education and personal growth (Wasik & Bond, 2021).
This study presents a comprehensive analysis of thematic data from the National Learning Camp, aiming to discern pivotal aspects related to teacher volunteers' experiences and challenges encountered, and the consequent effect on learners’ learning outcomes.
The researcher observed that the implementation of the National Learning Camp address the learning gaps of learners in literacy and numeracy with three separate camps on intervention, enhancement, and collaboration.
The intervention is designed for children who have not reached their proficiency level in a particular subject. This study was conducted to find out the teacher volunteers’ experiences, challenges, and coping strategies in the implementation of National Learning Camp as bases for program recommendation during the school year 2024-2025.
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