Aboitiz Group assists gov’t in its learning strategies in the new normal

CEBU CITY-- The Aboitiz Group through its various business units (BUs) continues to assist government in its education and learning strategies for Filipino teachers and students to ease into the new normal of learning through HEROES2021 or Help Educators Rise to Online Education for School Year 2020-2021.

Aboitiz Group president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sabin Aboitiz said that the Aboitiz Group continues to find new and innovative ways to empower students to keep learning, and the teachers be able to adapt in the face of new challenges.

Aboitiz banking and financial services unit Union Bank of the Philippines and its subsidiary, City Savings Bank, for one, has partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) to help train 800,000 public school teachers in using digital tools for blended learning through HEROES2021, a two-stage intensive training program aimed at rapidly building public school teachers’ capability for online teaching.

Designed to help train public school teachers, UnionBank team members have volunteered to design easy-to-understand web seminars (webinars) that complement HEROES2021 training modules.  

The team is Microsoft-certified to design Webinar topics that include flexible learning, engaging online learning activities, measuring learning outcomes, and exploring a live online class.  UnionBank’s team member volunteers run at least three webinars a week, striving to reach more teachers in Visayas and Mindanao.

“By designing these supports learning tools and scaling up delivery, UnionBank introduced new ways of providing much-needed aid for our public-school teachers so they may make learning easier via technology,” said Dave Devilles, UnionBank Vice President for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Aside from UnionBank and CitySavings, HEROES2021 includes learning partners EduRescue Philippines, Akadasia Singapore, and Thames International.

 DepEd National Capital Region Director Malcolm Garma is hopeful that HEROES2021 will boost the readiness of the public education sector to adapt to the new normal.

“We thank UnionBank and its subsidiary CitySavings for the HEROES2021 teacher training project. We all know that the use of printed modules for learning delivery is not sustainable in the long run given the costs and impact on the environment.  Online learning is one of the solutions and now is the time to train our teachers,” Garma said.

CitySavings, a UnionBank susidiary also donated safety and sanitation essentials such as alcohol, sanitizers, disinfectants, handwashing facilities, face masks, gloves, thermal scanners during Brigada Eskwela and several handwashing facilities and items were given to help schools as classes reopen under the ‘new normal.’

Davilles said that to support DepEd's Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (LCP), CitySavings also provided other teaching and learning support materials to DepEd regional and division offices and schools nationwide.