Alexis Ong, 11, was said to have been bullied in public school, such that it lowered his self-esteem and his grades. A few months ago, he went to the A-HA Learning Center, a tutoring place in Makati that provides free classes on Mathematics for the real world, conversational English, and values formation to public school children.

“I used to be a loner,” Ong said in fluent English. “Here, they taught me to be friendly.” In four months at A-HA, the once socially awkward Ong has made over 20 friends.

Antonio “Jaton” Zulueta Jr., 33, A-HA Learning Center’s founder and teacher, has a vision: free education that supports values and gives meaning and purpose in life.

He observed that when children first enter the program, they have low self-esteem due to lack of friends or approval from social media. Others were labeled pasaway (unruly) in school. The learning center highlights the worth and integrity of each student through personalized training in a warm and caring environment.

The youngsters also build confidence as they are taught to be more involved in the household and community.

Classroom cemetery

There’s the oft-repeated story, in 2003, Zulueta’s mother, entrepreneur Linda Francisco, opened the door of their residence and found a street urchin who lived in South Cemetery. Zulueta, then a 19-year-old English major at Ateneo, volunteered to spend weekends at the cemetery.

He taught the children numbers with the birth and death dates on the tombstones.
The number of children swelled to 60. However, due to their transient lifestyle, many eventually left. Zulueta found it difficult to sustain a program. He then approached public schools in Makati, offering free tutorial services.

His premise was that public school teachers couldn’t provide much-needed attention to students because of the large population in class. Hence, the public school system needed assistance.

In 2009, Zulueta borrowed an office space in a Makati apartment for the weekend. He received funding from the Commodore Jose Francisco Foundation to start his learning center. He has since been getting support from friends and family for the operations.

A-HA Learning Center is a an after-school program for underprivileged children. The culture allows them to express themselves.

“I invited public schools to send their kids here after classes. We evaluated each child, their development, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to adjust to their needs. They received individualized training.”

Commitment

The staff consists of a handful of teachers and a community development officer.

A-HA Learning Center accommodates 120 students at a time. Since 2003, Zulueta estimates that the program has taught some 2,000 underprivileged children from Grade 1 to high school. Today, he hopes to make it a community center.

Zulueta believes that children should develop commitment, compassion, gratitude, grit and a sense of public service. They understand commitment by delivering what they promised, and by arriving 10 minutes earlier than the appointed time.

“There is no Filipino time here,” Zulueta said.

English is based on the ESL (English as Second Language) format instead of formal grammar. Math is made practical as part of their life skills.

Abigail Matutina, 20, is a missionary teacher from Bacolod. She observed that in other public schools where she served as an intern, the students hated numbers.

“Here, the kids have a very positive attitude toward Math,” she said. “In our classes, we incorporate games instead of work sheets so that they have more fun.”

Red chair

“Change happens when their mothers are involved,” Zulueta said. They volunteer to clean the school, cook meals and serve as teacher’s aides in exchange for their children’s free tutorials.

When children become naughty or rude, they are given warnings. In the worst-case scenario, the teacher explains the offender’s mistakes and the consequences of his behavior. He then sits on the red chair.

Teacher Abigail Joyce Matutina is flanked by Jhon Alexis Ong and Zandra Tuting.

Zulueta will soon incorporate computer learning, in partnership with Barangay Bel-Air. Then there’s financial literacy, where kids will be taught to budget and manage their money in a fun way. In the new environment course, they will learn how to reduce waste and recycle. The nutrition course will focus on an earth-friendly, plant-based diet.

Many children have improved their grades. Zandra Tuting, 8, is a third grader at Nicanor Garcia Elementary School. Her father works at a printing press and her mother is a snack vendor. After two years at A-HA, she won a special Junior Chamber International award from Sen. Sonny Angara.

On Career Days, resource speakers from various fields inspire the children, proving that there are other possibilities for them than blue-collar jobs.

Zulueta’s dream is to get the community involved and have an A-HA Learning Center in every public school. To pursue his vision, he went on leave from his day job at his family’s salon chain business, and got a scholarship in developmental management at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). The AHA Learning Center will have a formal launch today at AIM.–CONTRIBUTED

A-HA is inviting volunteers.
A-HA is at 9708-C Pililia St., Barangay Valenzuela, Makati City. Call 8040091; e-mail [email protected].