ALKHOBAR, 9 November — Competition among the three Philippine schools in the Eastern Province is getting stronger and proving to be beneficial to students.
Leading the way is the International Philippine School in Alkhobar (IPSA), the biggest of what used to be the Philippine Embassy School in Alkhobar (PESA) before its breakup in 1995.
The two other schools are the Philippine School in Dammam (PSD) and the Philippine Community School in Alkhobar (Philcosa).
The competition is evident in improvements not just on school buildings, equipment, and teaching standards but also on management.
On Nov. 19, IPSA will inaugurate its new three-story building with 30 spacious classrooms, said Fernando Vicente, chairman of IPSA’s governing board.
Vicente told Arab News that the new building is part of the five-point program of IPSA’s recently convened 7th IPSA School Governing Board, a commitment to serve high-quality standard of education to Filipino children in the region. The school had also purchased two new big buses in addition to its existing fleet.
He expressed hopes that with the improvements being made at IPSA, the school will win back the students who have moved to other community schools in the region.
Vicente’s bigger dream is the reunification of the three schools, which he said would be for the betterment of students and parents alike.
"We hope that it (improvements at IPSA) would pave the way for the reunification of all the three Filipino schools in Dammam and Alkhobar," he said.
Vicente said the three schools combined would mean bigger number of enrollees and reduced operating expenses, which could result reduced school fees and better salaries for the teaching and administrative staff.
IPSA, at present, has a total number of 610 students from pre-elementary level to high school, and 65 faculty and administration staff.
Vicente was recently reelected for the third time as IPSA’s chairman of the board. The other elected board members are Nestor Raphael Valenciano, first vice chairman; Edison Plandez, second vice chairman; and members Abdullah Macala, Jessie Asilo, Francisco Evangelista, and Jaime Hernandez.
The other members of the board are Dr. Erna Yuson, school principal, and Jayson Casorla, president of the Parent-Teacher Associations Council.
The non-voting members, by virtue of their positions, are Ambassador Rafael Seguis and Saudi Ministry of Education representative Mubarrak Hamad Bubshait.
The board’s 5-point plan also hopes to improve IPSA’s financial management and control; improve governance and personnel administration; encourage students to be aware of what they are in school for; and enhance cooperation among parents, teachers and the school administration.
Vicente said the school is also working out a scholarship program for deserving high school students.
Two other objectives being considered are the offering the 11th and 12th grades and the provision of medical insurance for school employees.
Under its financial management and control plan, Vicente said the school aims to reduce account receivables by at least 80 percent and to develop a financial management system to ensure its implementation.
Vicente said dialogues or seminars are being planned to strengthen harmony between parents and teacher. Parents are now deeply involved in the ratification of the school’s by-laws.
He admitted that some parents recently transferred their children to other schools due to misunderstandings and disagreements with the faculty or school administration.
Vicente, though, that students from other schools have also transferred to IPSA recently and that the school will continue to accept those who wish to come.
