JEDDAH, 6 June — Education officials and policy makers in Manila have yet to get their act together but the International Philippine School in Jeddah (IPSJ) is ready to implement the new curriculum planned for Philippine schools.
In preparation for the eventuality, the school conducted a two-day Echo Seminar Workshop on the new Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) on May 26 and 27, with 52 faculty members of the pre-school, elementary and high school departments participating.
IPSJ principal Dr. Reinita Respicio said that although the implementation of the new curriculum had been held in abeyance amid objections by some quarters in Manila, the training must go on.
“In the event that the go-ahead comes, IPSJ will be ready for this,” said Respicio.
As explained during the seminar workshop, the BEC focuses on only five core learning areas that include English, Filipino, Mathematics, Science and Makabayan.
English, Math, Science and Filipino, being “basic tool subjects,” would be given an hour each in every seven-hour school day.
Makabayan, a human development course that integrates Social Studies, Home Economics and Practical Arts, would be given three hours daily.
Also being integrated into the five core learning areas are Technology; Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health; Geography, History, Civics, Culture and Values Education.
Proponents of the new basic curriculum believe that by reducing the core learning areas to just five, students would gain “mastery” of the basic subjects.
The curriculum, however, has come under opposition from such militant groups as the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), which has accused the government of engaging in a “ ruthless cost-cutting and streamlining measure at the behest of the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.”
“The BEC will sacrifice the education of the youth, who will become cheap skilled laborers in the world market instead of productive Filipinos with a strong sense of history, culture, arts and all-around skills,” ACT chairwoman Dr. Carol Almeda had repeatedly said in various forums.
Education Secretary Raul Roco had denied the accusations, pointing out that Makabayan is precisely being allotted three hours to ensure that students, while gaining mastery math, science and languages, would also have a strong sense of history and values.
“In teaching math, one could also teach the values of being accurate or honest,” Roco had said.
In an opening speech during the seminar, school board chairman Efren T. Rodriguez said that the IPSJ, being the leader among Philippine schools abroad, should lead the way in carrying out programs that are meant to upgrade the educational system.
“Program of educational reform is the key to achieve quality education and value laden instruction,” he said.
Rodriguez also emphasized that a good relationship among the administration, faculty, students and the parent community makes the school even better and bonded by a common purpose. “Let us help one another and build one another so that our common objective is achieved,” he said.
The second day of the workshop was a demonstration teaching on the curricular approaches and strategies where the thinking tools, integration of values and the integration of subjects to the core learning areas.
The facilitators were English teacher Ronel Sapungan and math teachers Glory Fe Abotanatin and Ariel de la Cruz.
De la Cruz demonstrated on Grade V mathematics with the integration of Values Education high school department. Other facilitators in the seminar-workshop included Jesusa Derilo, who explained the rationale of the BEC, and Dr. Guillermo V. Alcaraz, the moderator in the two day-seminar/workshop.
The sessions encouraged team-teaching and sharing of resources, the use of varied activities in class to attain course objectives. Participants were also taught how to innovate and use multi-media in instruction.
The IPSJ’s the non-teaching staff is also slated for a two-day seminar-workshop on the Values of Work and Total Quality Management (TQM).
Weeks ago, the school sent two of its board members, Linogaranao Mapandi and de la Cruz to attend a management seminar at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Manila.
