MINERVA BC NEWMAN
CEBU CITY -- City Savings Bank, Inc. (CitySavings) launched its “National Economic Development and Values Formation” webinar series designed to guide the Department of Education’s (DepEd) public schools in revitalizing character education programs focusing on values and virtues that contribute to economic recovery.
Dr. Bernardo M. Villegas, a prominent economist
and one of the initiators of values education courses highlighted the common
notion of how contactless erodes the quality of human relations.
Villegas said there must be some way “we can make sure that as we enter a more digitalized world, we do not lose the distinct advantage of Filipinos, not only for its value to the employability of our workforce here and abroad but also primarily to retain the social virtues for us to be on top of any measure of Gross National Happiness.”
The first three batches of the webinar series were done in Luzon last year with a total 450 participants composed of principals, assistant principals, guidance counselors, teachers and other educators. All webinars were virtual which started with the NCR on April 15-17; August 11-13 with NCR, Region 3 and Region 4A and on November 17-19 with regions 1, 4B and 5.
“This webinar series was well received by our participants in Luzon and we are looking at replicating the program for our VisMin educators sometime this year," City Savings AVP- Reputation and Brand Management Head Paula Ruelan said.
The 3-day webinars were focused on the important roles of school authorities in exerting every effort of bringing in parents into the highly involved task of values and virtues formation.
CitySavings strongly advocates to instill the right
virtues among the Filipino youth in partnership with the University of Asia and
the Pacific (UA&P), a leading institution of higher learning in the
Philippines with pioneering programs for educators in values formation for the
training delivery of this engagement.
Educators noted that the pandemic accelerated digital transformation globally but it also yielded challenges, particularly, in contactless physical interaction between teachers and students.
To address the shift in educational needs, teachers are going beyond usual learning and teaching modalities, which the Bank recognized is also affecting how values or character formation are incorporated in the curriculum.
“I am confident that the key takeaways you got from this webinar, plus the valuable insights from Dr. Bernie’s Book of Virtues and Values, will help you think through your school’s character education program, and go through a decision-making process that will blend values into the curriculum for a stronger and better school community,” CitySavings President and CEO Lorenzo Ocampo said.
Dr. Arnulfo Balane, DepEd NCR assistant regional director explained that School administrators and teachers are an essential component in the character building of our students. They must be equipped with the appropriate tools to provide the students with lifelong skills with a moral dimension for international competitiveness.
Dr. Antonio Torralba, an educator with
tremendous experience in basic education helped the DepEd participants boost
the campaign of #WAGI (Wastong Asal at Gawi, Isabuhay) that focuses on the long
and delicate process of “pagsasabuhay” (living) “wastong asal” (right behavior)
and “gawi” (human virtues).
Torralba said, manners (Wastong Asal) + Right Conduct (Gawi) are the essence of Values Education. More than a subject, it is a lifestyle. He also provided school leaders with a perspective on the four areas of conversation: What Makes Good Schools, Good Principals, Good Teachers, and Good Students.
Cynthia Marca, EdD RGC, Guidance Counselor III of Muntinlupa National High School said that the webinar was a reflective session hearing the voice of the learners on the ideas and suggestions on the areas of concern.
“I was able to draw a conclusion that in formulating programs/activities, to consider the values of the learners, it should fit their values and interest to guide them in making wise decisions,” Marca added. (Photos: CitySavings/Jomes Ybanez)
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