"Iskul Ko No.1", a documentary by I-Witness (GMA Network, Philippines) won the silver award in the recent New York Festival 2008. The story is about a public school in Sindangan, Leyte in the Philippines. It ranked number one on top of all public schools nationwide based on the academic achievements of the students. Teacher Lea, once a private school teacher, brought to the public school the system of teaching in private schools. Some students, who live in the boondocks, would walk an hour to the school. For the poorer families, the children's dream to finish college ends upon graduating from the sixth grade. Mildred, who was in top two in the school, simply planned to work as a domestic helper after graduating from sixth grade. This is what I feel after watching the documentary. It's sad that there are bright Filipino children in the remote areas in the provinces who could not finish college due to being poor. Shame on the politicians and government officials who get
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