By Jude Trinidad
SOME years back, the photo of a homeless nine-year-old boy named Daniel doing his school homework on the pavement of a quick-serve restaurant in Mandaue City stirred the Internet. He managed to read and write with the help of the shafts of light coming from the store.
Netizens gushed in sympathy and offered help. Many ask why someone struggling to learn wouldn’t receive a scholarship.
Unknown to many, Silid Aralan Inc., a foundation based in Rodriguez, Rizal, has long answered that question by offering scholarships to struggling learners. For two decades, it has sent hundreds of ‘Daniels’ to school, year after year.
Born in the dumpsite
WHILE typical scholarships go to students who achieve the highest grades, win competitions, or consistently excel in the classroom, Silid Aralan takes the contrarian course by embracing those who would have been automatically excluded from the scholarship system.
‘[It started in] 2002, when I chose to live in Quezon City’s Payatas dumpsite for three years,’ said Arcie Mallari, the foundation’s chief motivation officer. ‘I met many high school students there who could barely read and write.’
Mallari discovered three harsh realities: First, struggling families often just wanted the diploma-sometimes even threatening teachers if their children [didn’t pass]. Second, classrooms were severely overcrowded, with 70 to 100 students packed into a small space. Third, the teachers’ key performance indicators and promotions are tied to pass/fail rates of their students, creating a structural pressure to promote kids who weren’t actually ready.
‘One day, I asked a 16-year-old fourth-year high school girl what she wanted to become someday. Her quick reply was to be a housemaid,’ he shared. ‘Dumbfounded, I asked why. She gave three reasons: One, she could finally sleep comfortably on a sofa or bed instead of the cardboard on the floor. Two, she would no longer have to eat pagpag, or scavenged leftover food from the dumpsite, but safer leftovers from her employer. And, three, she could sleep without fear during stormy weather, knowing there’s [a stable] roof over her head.’
Steely start
SHOCKED, Mallari immediately called some friends to help that girl get into college.
Thereafter, he left the dumpsite in 2005 to pursue a corporate career. A year later, he was invited to attend a graduation ceremony.
To his and his friends’ surprise, the same girl who dreamed of becoming a housemaid stood on stage and was recognized as an honor student.
That reinforced Mallari’s resolve to help students in dire situations. In 2007, he founded Silid Aralan to empower learners who are not only economically poor but also academically challenged, particularly those struggling to read and write, and failing in school.
Scholar Rhian-a Grade 9 student-confessed that being adopted by the foundation made her love learning. She recalled having a hard time reading and writing, even though she had already reached sixth grade three years ago.
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Now, Rhian proudly says she is proficient in reading, writing, and, most of all, reading comprehension.
Inside classes
At Silid-Aralan, students are enrolled in one of the three main programs:
1) ‘Silid Read to Lead Program’ for Grades 1 to 3 that focuses on foundational non-readers, using the SALTED Framework: Motivate, Escalate, Create, Integrate, and Celebrate. It prioritizes emotional safety and confidence before teaching reading drills, or ‘Will Before Skill.’ 2) Ground Zero Program for Grades 4 to 6, designed for intermediate learners experiencing learning loss and academic failure. It bridges gaps in reading comprehension and critical numeracy while rebuilding their self-confidence. 3) ‘iLEAD’ program for Grades 7 to 12/senior high school-the flagship youth leadership track, powered by the SILID Coaching Framework: Story, Insight, Leaps, Intentions, and Development. It guides students’ transition into self-leaders who prepare for college or careers and execute real-world iMPACT Projects for their communities.
Program sessions complement the formal schedule of the Department of Education without causing academic overload or interruption. Co-learners composed of volunteers, community mentors, and staff facilitate classes in spaces like vacant classrooms, local barangay halls, municipal libraries, or community centers provided by partner organizations.
Healing before honing
TO date, Silid Aralan has already helped about 20,000 most-challenged learners, rebuilding their motivation, strengthening their competencies, and restoring their hope so they can rise, lead, and transform their communities.
While some believe that education deficiencies can be solved by simply distributing more textbooks or enforcing tougher drills, the foundation has developed a deeper understanding of children in vulnerable communities who carry deep emotional trauma, or ‘academic hibernation,’ from repeated failure.
It sees students who struggle-not because they lack will or potential- but because they are trapped in difficult learning conditions. Imagine students who cannot afford public transport and walk kilometers to school; study in a crowded home; care for younger siblings; attend classes hungry; do ‘side hustles’ after class to put food on the table; and students like Daniel, with no home to call his own…
Learning poverty
THE Philippine education system faces a deep learning crisis, with more than 90 percent of Filipino children aged 10 struggling to read simple text.
Global evaluations like the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed that 15-year-old Filipino students consistently rank near the bottom globally in specific subjects. While the latest assessment cycle (2025) had placed the Philippines as the fastest-improving country in the world, Filipino students remain near the bottom, ranking 77th out of 91 countries in Science, 74th out of 90 countries in Math, and 72nd out of 90 countries in reading.
Schools in depressed areas generally fare worse. Mallari was not surprised that some schools produced high school graduates who could barely read or write, yet were generous enough to recognize almost an entire batch as honor students.
Building future generations
SILID ARALAN sustains itself through volunteers, donors, and friends who believe in providing educational aid for those deemed ‘outliers’ for being ‘scholars.’
For P10,000, one can already send a needy student to the foundation’s program for one year.
‘When you invest in an honor student, you get an incremental gain. But when you invest in a child at ‘zero-point’-a child who can’t read and has lost all hope-you aren’t just teaching a lesson; you are breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty for an entire family,’ explained Mallari. ‘Your P10,000 is not a mere donation; it is a high-yielding social investment in human dignity.’
In its 20 years of operation, the Silid Aralan has not only helped thousands of students finish their studies but also produced successful engineers, architects, doctors, accountants, teachers, and more. Some have become loyal volunteers and donors, while others now sit on its Board of Trustees.
By believing in underperforming students-especially those who are poor-the foundation is not merely giving them money for school; it is telling them clearly that their lives matter, their dreams matter, and their future matters.
For Mallari, a scholarship doesn’t just pay for an education. It funds possibilities, hope, and opportunities to succeed. It doesn’t just change one student’s life; it may also improve the future of a family, a community, and future generations of the country.