School on the Farm

Fritz Gemperle’s demeanor is a rare combination of quiet dignity and resolve. He is unmistakably a crusader, but unlike the rowdy advocates of change one often sees making a spectacle of themselves on TV, Fritz possesses a serenity no doubt tempered by lessons learned from his valuable experience with farming and all that it entails.

Growing up in a family that owned large tracts of land in Davao del Norte ingrained in Fritz a deep respect for the passage of time. He knows only too well that one needs time to plant a seed, tend to it and eventually harvest its fruits. In Fritz one sees a personi-fication of what Jo Petty once said: "Patience is strength that is concentrated."

It is to be expected then that Fritz’s personal crusade is based on the premise that change requires constant toiling through time. The kind of toil, in his case, is specifically aimed at educating farmers.

Fritz is the president of the non-stock, non-profit Pampamilyang Paaralang Agrikultura, Inc. (PPAI) which runs seven Family Farm Schools in the Philippines. The first of its kind in the country and in Asia, the schools offer an alternative education to the children of farmers, and–by their involvement in their children’s education–to farmers themselves. The PPAI does not venture into an area unless the local people themselves see the need for having a farm school and seek the ppai’s assistance.

The Family Farm School’s secondary education students are 12- to 16-year-old children of marginal rural farmers living within a 30-km. radius of a farm school and whose families are engaged either in plant production, raising livestock, aquaculture or a combination of these.

The post-secondary education offered by the farm schools is a two-year course on entrepreneurship (agribusiness) accredited by decs.

Within the schools are dormitories, offices, living, dining, laboratory, computer and TV rooms; comfort rooms; basketball or volleyball courts and the all-important oratory. Each school can accommodate a maximum of 45 students per class, which ensures an ideal ratio of one tutor for every six or seven students.

While the farm schools offer a three-year special secondary education (equivalent to high school in conventional schools) accredited by the decs, the agriculture-based curriculum is taught in the hope that the children will eventually help improve the farms they come from.

Hence, the requisite subject such as social studies, English, Mathematics, Pilipino, Science, Values Education and others are taught there, but always in relation to farming.

Besides these, the farm schools teach agricultural mechanics (basic drawing, drafting, carpentry, welding and electrical workshops for the boys; cooking, sewing, food preparation and housekeeping for the girls); agricultural technology (genetics, plant pathology, ecology, etc.); computer technology/typing; and farm marketing, management, accounting and management of cooperatives.

What makes the farm schools different? "It’s the principles they adhere to," replies Fritz. "Number one is their alternating system. The students go to the farm school for a certain time then return to their farm for a certain time. The cycle (involves) one week in school, then two weeks at home."

While one level attends class, the other two are in the farms. The week-long live-in classes take place from early June to late April.

"Another is that the parents are involved in the education of the children. The two weeks that the kids go home doesn’t mean they just go home to help out in the fields; they learn the practical aspects of farming.

"Being involved in what their children do breaks down parental barriers. A parent does not descend to the level of his son or daughter but rather, communicates with him or her.

"The third aspect is the highly personalized formation. A tutor educates a student for three years. He is an honest to goodness tutor who not only teaches academic lessons but also involves himself with a student’s upbringing and values."

"The fourth is that students (themselves) get involved with the community through a strong association which is much more active than (the usual) PTA (Parent Teacher Association). In Dagatan, they actually raise funds to help the school. Of the school’s budget, the biggest (45 percent) is for salaries and wages, and for food (35 percent). In Dagatan now, the association covers that cost. They’re completely self-sufficient."

Generous individuals and corporate sponsors have helped build or maintain the Family Farm Schools through the years. Among those who have been dependable corporate sponsors and cooperators are the Marubeni Foundation, Assisi Foundation, Meralco Foundation, Land Bank, Juliana Lopez Foundation, Metrobank Foundation, Philam Foundation, Makati Garden Club, FA Realty, DA-NAFC and Agencia Española de Cooperacion International. The Zobel de Ayalas donated one and a half hectares of land where the pilot Dagatan School in Lipa City, Batangas is located.

To date, there are six other farm schools located in Bais, Negros Oriental; Balete, Batangas; Dingle, Iloilo; Jalajala, Rizal; Tuy, Batangas and Roxas, Oriental Mindoro. As of August 2001, 719 students have completed the secondary course and 101 the post-secondary course. There are currently 539 students undergoing secondary and 17 students doing post-secondary education.

The aim of the Farm Schools is to inculcate in its students the value of their farms and their livelihood, and to motivate them to help upgrade these.

"The beauty of working in the family farms," says PPAIexecutive director Nelson Favorito, "is that we’re helping others to alleviate poverty in their areas. Based on our latest statistics, our students are doing very well. Fifty percent of our students who go to college end up taking agricultural courses. We have six graduates who are now teachers in our schools." Seeing the students able to support their families and become law-abiding citizens is a source of great fulfillment for Nelson.

"The idea is for the students to look at their farm in the first year," elaborates Fritz. "Then in the second year, to look at their surroundings and neighbors. (The idea is to) open their eyes that the world around them is not just ‘my farm’ but ‘my neighbors’, to let them recognize the idea of coming back to the rural area."

Even as the PPAIbegins its 14th year, Fritz Gemperle shows no signs of slowing down in his commitment and his resolve. An Opus Dei member who believes in Josemaria Escriva’s teaching that one can serve God and aspire for holiness in whatever one’s station or work, Fritz explains it simply as "social responsibility. Small farmers need help, not big ones.

"The Philippines being an agricultural country, to my mind it’s actually the right thing to do because we produce people who are aware of what is in their rural areas and who will be able to work in those areas as good farmers."

To know more about the Farm Schools, contact the PPAIHead Office at 2242 Pieco Bldg., Don Chino Roces Ave., Makati City, tel. 892-8977 to 78, fax 815-1411. Or visit their website http://familyfarmschool.zibyschool.com or e-mail at [email protected].