“Making the SGC Work” for Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro

Last May 4 to 5, 2017, Synergeia facilitated a workshop on “Making the SGC Work” for some 97 participants representing the barangays, Parents-Teachers Associations (PTAs), and teachers and principals of public elementary schools of Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro.  This workshop was made more significant because of the full support and presence of local government officials led by the Mayor of Bongabong, Mayor Eligio Malaluan.  Governor Alfonso Umali and Congressman Reynaldo Umali also came to give their assurances of support to our basic education movers from Bongabong.

Starting with a review of the role of the School Governing Council and followed by a self-assessment exercise to establish the baseline performance of their SGCs, our workshop participants went through different modules that aim to capacitate them  with tools on how to strengthen their respective SGCs.  There were modules on policy making, project planning and task analysis, budgeting and setting SGC ground rules that were ably facilitated by Synergeia mentors.  Add to these were sessions on how to improve attendance in SGC meetings and on who should be elected SGC members to ensure success.

In meta cards at the last workshop session, participants from the Sebastian Umali MES wrote “Na-realize naming ang kahinaan ng aming SGC na di na active and functional. Sa aming pag-uwi ay muli naming bubuhayin ang aming SGC.”  They and the rest of our workshop participants went on to identify activities, milestones, changes and challenges which would make their SGCs work.  In the words of participants from the Pascuala P. Gabia MES, “upang makabuo ng isang aktibong SGC na may ambag at pakialam sa pag-unlad ng mga mag-aaral sa paaralan.” Truly, there is hope that better education for children can happen because of the collaborative effort of all in the community.