Inmate to graduate as valedictorian

By CZARINA NICOLE O. ONG

April 26, 2011, 6:28pm

MANILA, Philippines — A 49-year-old inmate will graduate as class valedictorian next month, proving that age and dire social circumstances are no match for inner determination.

Jacqueline Torrefiel bested 19 of her classmates enrolled in the Alternative Learning System (ALS), a course implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd) in the Lapu-Lapu City Jail and other jails nationwide.

The ALS course is an informal education system for the out-of-school youth, children in conflict areas, indigenous people, inmates, fisherfolk, farmers, rebel returnees, or for students without access to any formal learning system.

According to the DepEd, the ALS is "an anytime, anywhere learning." Its teachers use interactive modules and its sessions are done depending on the schedules of the learners and facilitators.

In jails, sessions are done three to four times a week. Inmates enjoy learning basic subjects such as Math, English, Filipino, and History.

“I want to be a model to my own kids and show them the value of education,” said Torrefiel.

In fact, Torrefiel, who is a widow and mother to four kids, was a high school dropout way back in 1976. She did not realize the value of education until she had to take on the role as breadwinner for her family. When her military officer husband passed away, Torrefiel started a dressmaking business in order to feed her children.

Sadly, the hard life forced her to dabble into drugs. Torrefiel was arrested in 2000 due to a violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act, and two of her kids were brought to a shelter since nobody was willing to take care of them.

It was in jail that Torrefiel decided to change her life for the better. She used every opportunity she had in jail to learn livelihood projects and technical courses such as dressmaking, culinary arts, and cosmetology. Suddenly, this high school dropout expressed an insatiable desire to learn and she used the money she earned in jail to sustain her children.