Our Three Days Seminar

I only met my class twice this week because of a three day seminar. The first one was about enhancing the English language skills of our student while the past Thur and Friday was a workshop for CEAP (Catholic Educators Association of the Philippines) Regional.

After a trial implementation of the program in San Isidro, Abatan, the Diocese of Baguio parochial schools are going to include in the curriculum the PCEP module. It trains the students (and teacher as well) on the proper spoken neutral English, comprehension and confidence building in public speaking. For me, this is really something of a good news. I just hope all of us, teachers, will cooperate and be willing to be trained. For at the end of the day, the benefits will not only to go the students but for all the teachers and the name of the school as well.

Thursday and Friday was a time spent on seminar and workshops on the new challenge to educators with our current social and environmental concerns. Basically, it was all about looking back from the past, analyzing it and moving forward to the future with guided imagination. With the hope of not repeating the mistakes of the past.

Another important info shared by DEPED Regional Director, Josefina Tamondong in the workshop was the "10 Ways to Fix Philippine Basic Education" by Pres. Benigno S. "Noynoy" Aquino III. Here are a rundown of it:

1. 12 - Year Basic Education Cycle (...well, this is something just waiting to be materialized if we really want to be at par with the global education)
2. Universal pre-schooling for all (public schools)
3. Madaris (for Muslims) as a sub-system within the Education system (I wish there would also be a sub-system for Indigenous education)
4. Technical vocational education as an alternative stream in senior high school
5. "Every Child a Reader" by Grade 1
6. Science and Math proficiency (this one needs to be addressed the soonest)
7. Assistance to private schools as essential partners in basic education (made much applause from us, private educators)
8. Medium of Instruction retionalized
• Learn English well and connect to the World
• Learn Filipino well and connect to our country
• Retain your dialect and connect to your heritage (this one I like)
9. Quality textbooks
10. Covenant with Local Government to build more schools (which means more teachers as well)

Second part of the seminar was about how to make our students be educated and be confident of our Indigenous People's  traditions. For Bon-Lag, their IP education is well established. But for the Diocese of Baguio, particularly San Jose, it needs more enhancement and be more dedicated and serious in implementing this trust. Integration in the school curriculum in all subject has to be enhanced.