Tag: #educationgovernance

There is something new to learn about LEARN

Posted on by Florendo Guevara

First, it is an organization of like-minded local leaders whose vision for education is as long and enduring as its name. LEARN stands for “Learning Environment Accessible in Rebuilding the Nation.”  

Second, there is nothing typical about the LEARN Council in terms of its broad membership which compares with the focused, area-centric representation of a standard  “regional education council.” It has for its members the Local Chief Executives from across Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, National Capital Region, Eastern Visayas and Surigao del Norte.  

Third, because of this more expanded and diversified structure, the LEARN Council rises with a resolute and determined energy and passion,  allowing it to joyfully experience a kind of  “rebirth” that exemplifies its resurgence towards the opening of a new chapter in its existence.

 Its readiness and wherewithal to lead LGUs in the implementation of education governance programs extends beyond a renewal of faith in its mission but more of a strengthening of vigor and dedication to what its name is hoping to achieve.

Finally, the renaissance of the LEARN Council promises to be a living proof of  the capability and leadership of its officers and members to improve the reading proficiency of children, share and adopt best practices in education governance and work to encourage more LGUs to be part of LEARN.  

Mayor Agatha Paula Cruz of Guiguinto, Bulacan is the new Chairperson of the LEARN Council.  Other newly-elected officers are:  

Mayor Alfredo Coro II of Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte – Vice-Chairperson

Mayor Wes Gatchalian of Valenzuela City – Secretary

Mayor Joy Belmonte of Quezon City – Treasurer

Mayor Francis Garcia of Balanga City, Bataan – Auditor

Mayor Josell Aimee Vistan of Plaridel, Bulacan – Communication Officer

In its two meetings this  year, the LEARN Council has accomplished quite a feat. It reviewed its by-laws and analyzed the education performance of members towards solidifying their goal and success metrics as an education council. 

Indeed, we can trust that the LEARN Council is relentless to put education of our children on the right and more progressive track. 

Part 1: Hope In The Meeting of Minds and Hearts

Posted on by Florendo Guevara

Imagine Iligan, the City known for its ” Refreshing Waterfalls”  brimming with energy during its inaugural Education Summit.  Under the leadership of Mayor Frederick Siao, this landmark gathering brought together over 300 individuals from diverse backgrounds, each with a unique story to share and a dream to nurture. 

It was a picture of hope in the meeting of minds and hearts for a better quality of life in this awesome city in Mindanao. 

The summit opened with a detailed presentation by Mayor Siao himself. He unveiled the education data of the city. He highlighted key challenges such as the National Achievement Test (NAT) results and the persistent struggle with reading comprehension among students.

As the summit unfolded, the participants confronted the stark realities impacting education in Iligan. Discussions deepened into the challenges students face with NAT scores and the ongoing battle with effective reading strategies. Stories emerged, painting a narrative of hurdles like limited parental involvement, the call for empowering teacher training, poor nutrition among students , lack of school personnel and reading resources.

One Fine Day for Murcia

Posted on by Florendo Guevara

Murcia sounds like Spanish.  Indeed. Murcia is a city in southeastern Spain.

But there is another Murcia, a place brewing with new ideas and warmer smiles of close to 90,000 people, in Negros Occidental. 

People gathered for Murcia one fine day. And it was for this important Education Summit which could break or make the future of children in this awesome town in the Visayas. 

How can a small municipality like Murcia become so serious about education that it has to make a summit matter for its local governance?

Murcia’s leadership has a vision for a more sustainable knowledge-based future for its citizenry. Mayor Gerry M Rojas saw that only when the quality of its education improves and the standards for such quality are raised will they be able to confront his vision with success.

The Summit was a key response to this vision. Murcia’s community understood the Mayor’s call for dialogue and conversation about what needs to be resolved and the concrete actions to take.

Through the support of Synergeia led by former Governor Rafael ‘Lito’ Coscolluela and joined by former Mayor Alfonso Gamboa, former Vice Mayor Jay Jalandoni, Councilor Fini Jalandoni, and Program Officer Edwin Nacionales, the Summit was held on 21 March 2024 in Bacolod City. 

Over 250 participants came to the Summit. There were the local barangay officials of Murcia,  the Department of Education officers, health and nutrition staff, child development workers, daycare teachers under the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and members of the Parents-Teachers-Association.

All agreed with Mayor Roxas’ conclusion that based on data from the DepEd, Murcia’s student performance in different levels of reading- Hiligaynon, Filipino, and English/ showed inferior results. The most worrisome results came from secondary-level English, which showed a dismal 11% readiness by the students. Moreover, the poor nutritional status in daycare was also concerning.

Given this situation, it was established that there has to be a better strategy and approach that can hopefully bridge the gaps and achieve more positive outcomes. 

Inspired by the dreams of parents for their children to finish their education, the Summit 

generated helpful insights and possibilities which Murcia should start doing and build a stronger foundation for its education vision. 

It cemented a Covenant of Support amongst the stakeholders of MURCIA to cover for the following concrete actions to be taken by those involved:

  1. The elected officials, composed of Sangguniang Bayan Members, Barangay Captains, and Sangguniang Kabataan committed to passing ordinances to support students’ welfare, such as scholarships for poor but deserving students, barangay nutrition, and assistance for qualified residents to avail of the Tesda scholarship. They also planned to establish Barangay Reading Centers or libraries which will help develop the reading culture in the barangays and also serve as venues for tutorial classes.
  2. The parents’ group puts a premium on teaching the correct values to their children at home. As their children’s first teachers, they committed to providing adequate time and effort to teach good study habits by checking their lessons and homework. They agreed to instill discipline by regulating the use of gadgets that affect the study habits of most children. A mother was so emphatic about the problem of early pregnancy that she proposed that parents should regulate the use of cell phones, TV shows, and other forms of social media that contribute to early pregnancies. Parents, especially mothers, should raise awareness about the negative consequences of early marriage, including the increased risk of early pregnancies.
  3. The teachers’ group appealed for continuous support from the parents and the barangays to ensure children learn better and finish schooling.  They shared everyone’s dream of making children learn better with good habits and sound moral values.
  4. The DSWD group assured everyone that they would teach the preschoolers with a “heart.” To be more effective, they appealed to the Mayor to have spacious and child-friendly Daycare Centers.

No doubt, It was absolutely one fine day for Murcia.