Twelve innovative projects designed to improve the quality of learning in Ilocos Norte take the spotlight in the 2024 BANNUAR: INLaB for Education Innovation Summit held on Monday at the Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel in this city.
The projects from various schools in the province aim to inspire transformational change within the educational system by fostering innovation, collaboration and shared knowledge among the educators, administrators, and other stakeholders of the Schools Division of Ilocos Norte, Schools Division of Laoag City, and Schools Division of the City of Batac (INLaB).
In his speech, Department of Education (DepEd) regional director Tolentino Aquino lauded the collaborative efforts of the education sector in the province to help shape the future of learning and teaching.
“Collaboration is essential as it creates the best practices and poll resources together for a collective success,” Aquino said in his speech delivered by regional education program supervisor Francis Domingo.
Lester Jay Caba, a teacher of the Catagtaguen National High School in Banna, Ilocos Norte, has introduced “Mission Eunoia” where student volunteers, teachers, and other stakeholders, including village officials and alumni, conducted various mindfulness activities to inspire more learners to go to school.
With the increasing number of dropouts, Caba said “Mission Eunoia” (beautiful thinking) has created a culture of “safe space” for all learners to feel love and acceptance. Caba said guidance and counseling programs must be strengthened for the holistic development of students to promote the learners’ mental well-being.
In Salpad Integrated School in Vintar town, teachers Jose Crisostomo Ramones, Lovely Queenie Rumbaoa, and Mark Calumpit launched “Project HOPE (Helping and Optimizing Progress for Every Juan)” to provide free school uniforms to poor learners and address bullying and absenteeism.
Rumbaoa said bullying in school has worsened after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are not just giving uniforms [to the most financially struggling learners], we also give them hope,” Rumbaoa said in her presentation.
On the other hand, Manny Pagaduan and Jhonel Tangonan of the Sta. Catalina and Pungto Elementary Schools in Pasuquin presented their Project DRIVE (Depositing Resources in a Virtual Envelop) which uses Google to lessen the teachers’ burden in submitting reports, allowing them to spend more time with their learners.
Gene Paul Cruz of Banban National High School in Bangui introduced Project OLATS (Offline Learning Assessment Toolkit System) which helps teachers simplify and automate their reports through Microsoft Excel.
Lawyer Allan Barcena, assistant vice president of the Energy Development Corporation (EDC), said their company has been sponsoring innovative education projects through the support of communities to ensure that no learner is left behind in a fast-changing world.
The EDC will give each project PHP20,000 to ensure sustainability while the top three categories, selected based on improving curriculum and instruction, governance and operations, and skills development, will receive PHP30,000, respectively.
“This time, we would like to focus on the innovation process, not on the personalities to ensure we have a continuing collaboration and measure its impact,” EDC corporate social responsibility program chief Deborah Melchor.
Melchor recognized the exemplary works, innovative ideas, inventions, discoveries, superior accomplishments, and commendable behavior of educators in the province for the past two years.
By Leilanie Adriano
(PNA)