That enviable kind of sparkling, visionary leadership came quite early in the life of 28-year-old teacher Efren Peñaflorida, who was voted CNN Hero of the year. Peñaflorida obtained the highest number of online votes at 2.75 million. He won over nine other outstanding CNN heroes, but became the most outstanding, winning a purse of US$100,000, which he readily donated to further the pursuit of the goals of his group of young followers, the Dynamic Teen Company (DTC).

By now, we are all aware of this achievement. For a gentleman so young, his vision in founding the DTC came at a time when the statistics on the participation and dropout rates in basic education are dismal; when the lack of teachers and fundamental essentials like classrooms and learning materials has become disgraceful.

Antonio L. Tinio, national chairperson of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), released a statement in relation to this matter: “Peñaflorida’s ‘pushcart classroom’ is one creative and compassionate Filipino’s response to the crisis in education brought about by the Arroyo administration’s failure to provide free public education to the poor. In spite of Malacanang’s claim that it has brought about economic growth, the Filipino youth are being pushed out of schools largely due to poverty. In the nearly one decade of Mrs. Arroyo’s stay in power, there has been a staggering increase in the number of school dropouts. Enrollment figures have been declining since 2003, an unprecedented phenomenon not seen in previous administrations. According to the Department of Education, there are currently 5.2 million out-of-school children. This is Arroyo’s legacy in education.”

Full Story: PhilStar