LIVED EXPERIENCES OF ELEMENTARY TEACHERS IN REMOTE BARANGAYS OF CALANASAN, APAYAO

This study examined the lived experiences of elementary teachers in delivering quality education in the remote barangays of Calanasan, Apayao during the school year 2024–2025. Specifically, it explored the challenges they face in areas such as accessibility, resource availability, learner attendance, and institutional support, identify adaptive strategies employed, and assess their perceptions of support from the Department of Education and the local community to propose a strategic intervention plan responsive to the unique demands of rural education settings. Employing a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach, the study gathered data through in-depth interviews with nine teachers from three geographically isolated schools. The narratives were transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically to extract subordinate and subordinate themes that captured the essence of their lived experiences. Findings revealed that teachers faced exhausting travel conditions, weather-related hazards, severe shortages in instructional and digital resources, and high learner absenteeism driven by poverty and domestic obligations. Classroom infrastructure was often dilapidated, and parental engagement remained minimal. Despite these, teachers demonstrated remarkable resilience, improvisation, and peer collaboration. They received sporadic symbolic support from institutions but expressed a strong need for consistent, context-based assistance. Rural education is sustained largely by teacher commitment rather than institutional design.