Day: June 30, 2014

School Heads – A Silent But Potent Force in Education Reform

Posted on by synergeia

There is huge potential for development that lies in the hands of educators despite political and multi-cultural challenges present in Mindanao, according to Ateneo de Zamboanga President Fr. Karel San Juan. “You’re a very potent force in education reform because you quietly nurture the children,” he said to the school heads from the province of Sulu who attended Synergeia’s School Governance Workshop in Zamboanga City last week under USAID’s Education Governance Effectiveness (EdGE) Program.

Fr. Karel commended Synergeia for its continued presence in the region. “I learned about Synergeia’s good work here,” he said as he encouraged the principals to maximize the learning they could acquire during the workshop. “It is on occasions like these that you can reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. You have an exciting vocation because you are constantly learning. You need to be versatile in order to deal with all types of people. Mahalaga ang role ng Synergeia because they know how to take care of leaders like you, to build a group where you support each other, to synergize,” Fr. Karel said.

Zamboanga City Mayor Isabel Climaco gave an inspiring message to the participants as she emphasized the need to focus all activities for the benefit of the children. “The center of the educative process should always be the pupils,” she said. She thanked Synergeia for holding the workshop in Zamboanga. “We really need your presence here to help our sisters and brothers in the region of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.”

The school heads voiced their grateful enthusiasm for being part of the Synergeia family as they actively engaged in capacity-building activities during the workshop held in Grand Astoria Hotel in Zamboanga City on June 24-26.

“Malaking tulong ang Synergeia sa amin,” a principal from the town of Jolo said. Another from Talipao appealed that the relationship continue as the educational reforms are only starting in her town. Nakikita naming kailangan pa ang Synergeia.”

Prominent speakers and mentors imparted various knowledge on how to effectively manage their schools for the benefit of the children. Among the notable personalities were National Museum senior consultant John Silva, Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ, Dir. Oscar Atendido of John Robert Powers, Dr. Tonton Torralba and Valenzuela City Congressman Sherwin Gatchalian. Equally capable mentors equipped the participants with useful tools and insights during the break-out class sessions. Investment Banker Luigi Bernas, Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro Mayor Bambi Villarosa, former Philhealth President Dr. Rey Aquino and former Murcia, Negros Occidental Mayor Sonny Coscolluela formed the group of mentors for this workshop.

The EdGE workshop was attended by over 70 school heads from Laminusa, four districts of Jolo, 2 districts of Siasi and the municipality of Talipao. The three-day event culminated with a short bonding activity that strengthened camaraderie between the principals.

sulu-sg-pic
Top row from left: Zamboanga City Mayor Isabel Climaco, Fr. Ben Nebres, SJ, Cong. Sherwin Gatchalian, John Silva, Fr. Karel San Juan, Dir. Oskar Atendido; 2nd & 3rd rows: Synergeia Chief Dr. Nene Guevara leads Sulu school heads in a short but meaningful bonding activity; 4th row: Mentors Sr. Tonton Torralba, Mayor Bambi Villarosa, FMayor Sonny Coscolluela, Luigi Bernas, and Dr. Rey Aquino

Urban and Rural LCEs Mull Over Contrasting Education Woes

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For the rural towns of Masbate and Camarines Norte, one of the biggest reasons why children stop going to school is the far distance it takes to get there. In contrast, distance is not be a problem for more urbanized cities like Quezon City but due to over-populated classrooms in public schools, children similarly become discouraged from attending. These are some of the challenges discussed by local government heads early this month during Synergeia’s local school board workshop that was co-funded by Synergeia and Unicef.

Ideally, the smaller the town, the better the participation rate. However, many children who reside in far-flung areas need to walk for many kilometers to get to the nearest school, according to Mayor Isabel Magbalon of Milagros, Masbate. The heavy rainfall season between October to November discourages them even further, more so if they have to cross a river along the way. “What we do is build schools in every barangay,” said Mayor Enrico Capinig of the Municipality of Aroroy, Masbate. “Pero ganun pa din, malayo talaga.”

In Quezon City, public elementary schools are far more accessible but the large population of students creates a serious congestion in classrooms. Building additional schools also proves difficult because of unavailability of space, according to Quezon City 5th District Councillor Aly Medalla.

The local leaders also discussed common problems confronting education such as child labor and poverty. In sharing best practices, they agreed that a concerted effort must be made by the local government and the community to bridge the gap not only in logistics but also in communication between stakeholders.

“We hope to make a difference for the future,” Puerto Princesa City Councilor Victor Oliveros said as he shared his plans in addressing the issues that prevent children from going to school.

Padre Garcia Vice Mayor Noel Cantos proudly related how all the barangay captains in his municipality committed their full support to his education program.

The close interaction between the local heads were presided by Synergeia president Dr. Nene Guevara, Cong. Sherwin Gatchalian and Synergeia Mentor Mayor Bambi Villarosa of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro. Other LGU representatives from Masbate, Camarines Norte, Puerto Princessa City, Quezon City, Pasay City and Padre Garcia, Batangas engaged in their own discussions and workshop activities in an effort to improve the standard of education in their areas. The 2-day event was held on June 18-19 at Ateneo Professional Schools in Makati.