Marawi SDS thanks EU for support in education delivery

Marawi City Schools Division Superintendent Anna Zenaida Unte Alonto conveys her gratitude to EU Head of Delegation to the Philippines Ambassador Luc Veron for helping them in the delivery of quality and protective education to Bangsamoro learners. (Micheal John Paclar / PIA Lanao del Sur)

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur —The City Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) here expressed her gratitude to the European Union (EU) for mobilizing support to help the Division in ensuring the delivery of quality and protective education.

SDS Anna Zenaida Unte Alonto conveyed her thanks to EU Head of Delegation to the Philippines Ambassador Luc Veron during his visit to the Sagonsongan Temporary Learning Shelter on Thursday, November 18.

She said that, for the past decades, Bangsamoro children are the most vulnerable to conflict and poverty that is why the Department of Education (DepEd) makes sure that the quality of education will not be curtailed even in the darkest face of terrorism or any other disaster that may affect their community.

But the delivery of quality and protective education, according to Unte, cannot be done by the DepEd alone as it needs the support and help of partners and donors.

"The entirety of the City Schools Division of Marawi would like to take this opportunity to express our immense gratitude that you have been helping us especially at the height of the siege and until this very moment," she said.

Unte recalled that the EU thru Save the Children Philippines (SCP) has been helping the City Schools Division since the time SCP set up the first temporary learning school spaces in Saguiaran Central Elementary School where displaced Marawi children sought refuge to continue their education.

She hopes that the EU along with its partners will continue to help the City Schools Division until the last child is transitioned to a Marawi permanent regular school. (APB/PIA Lanao del Sur)

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MP Latiph ensures no Bangsamoro learner is left behind, turns over "Siyap ko Kapaganad to LDS schools divisions

Dr. Anna Zenaida Unte Alonto, Marawi City Schools Division Superintendent receives the key of responsibility from Member of Parliament Atty. Maisara Dandamun-Latiph for the "Siyap Ko Kapaganad" Program. The program was launched last December 3, 2020 and has been helping students and parents who are still coping up with the new modular learning/online learning in this time of the pandemic. (Angelo Dologmandin/PIA Lanao del Sur)

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur--Ensuring that all possible means are exhausted so that no Bangsamoro learner will be left behind as the nation continues to fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, the Office of Member of Parliament Atty. Maisara Dandamun-Latiph turned over the "Siyap Ko Kapaganad" program to the three schools divisions in the province.

The program which means "care for education" was launched on December 3, 2020 to make education accessible for all learners by providing educational resources such as modules and instructional videos.

MP Latiph said they started the program in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and one of the solutions that they came up with when they were thinking about the Bangsamoro children was an online distance learning program.

"Naisip namin na through the videos, mayroon teachers silang nakikita and at the same time, they would be able to look at their modules and learn together with the video. So mayroon pa rin silang teacher na magtuturo sa kanila at magmomotivate sa kanila na mag-aral," she said.

[We thought that through the videos, they can see the teachers, and at the same time, they would be able to look at their modules and learn together with the video. So they still have a teacher who will teach them and motivate them to study.]

MP Latiph said learning through the videos would not be difficult for the children as they can replay the videos. The videos are also easily accessible and can be viewed through the Siyap ko Kapaganad Facebook page or the kapaganad.com website. The contents can also be downloaded and saved in a flash drive.

For the program to kick off smoothly, the Office of MP Latiph extended technical assistance in terms of website design and management. It also provided financial assistance for ICT focal persons and coordinators per schools divisions and internet load for teachers who serve as content producers. 

A total of 187 videos on Arabic, English, K to 12, Science, and Math curriculum have been produced since the program inception.

As she turned over the Siyap ko Kapaganad program to the three schools divisions in Lanao del Sur, Member of Parliament Atty. Maisara Dandamun-Latiph expresses her hope for the divisions to use the program to open new opportunities and hopes for the Bangsamoro children. (Angelo Dologmandin/PIA Lanao del Sur)

Sustaining Siyap ko Kapaganad 

The Siyap ko Kapaganad program was officially turned over by MP Latiph to Lanao del Sur I, Lanao del Sur II, and Marawi City Schools Divisions on Friday, October 22, for them to sustain the program.

"As we turn over the responsibility of the Siyap ko Kapaganad to your respective divisions, I hope and I pray that you would use it to open new opportunities and hopes for our children. May it become your key for more quality, relevant, effective education, and may this be one of the reasons our children in the Bangsamoro continue to strive towards achieving dreams," MP Latiph said to the recipient schools divisions.

Meanwhile, officials of the three schools divisions expressed their gratitude to MP Latiph and vowed to sustain the program as they saw its positive impacts and heard good feedbacks from stakeholders.

Dr. Jamaila Kapampangan-Marohomsalic, Asst. Schools Division Superintendent for Senior High School of Lanao del Sur II Schools Division, said they included the program in their learning continuity plan and a memorandum will be crafted requiring all capable schools under the division to submit their assigned subject grade level videos that will be utilized for the program.

"It (Siyap Ko Kapaganad) helped our teachers and our learners surpass somehow the challenges brought by COVID-19. The videos are being utilized, most especially to our early grade learners. This will serve as one supplementary strategy in the teaching and learning process," she said.

Dr. Jamaila Kapampangan-Marohomsalic, Asst. Schools Division Superintendent for Senior High School of Lanao del Sur II Schools Division shares that the Siyap Ko Kapaganad has helped their teachers and learners surpass the challenges brought by COVID-19. (Angelo Dologmandin/PIA Lanao del Sur)

Dr. Mu’minah Mumbao Abdul, Asst. Schools Division Superintendent of Lanao del Sur I Schools Division said they will continue to work hand in hand with other schools divisions to bridge education gaps in the province.

Dr. Anna Zenaida Unte Alonto, Marawi City Schools Division Superintendent, also conveyed her thanks for the program as it has given teachers time to shine and break free from their classroom and from all the agitation, distress, and anxiety in this time of the pandemic. 

"As of now, hindi pa po normal ang education sa [education is not yet normal in] Marawi City and we need partners in the delivery of education until our last displaced child is transitioned to a regular and permanent school," she said. (APB/PIA Lanao del Sur)

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Bangsamoro Parliament commends Siyap ko Kapaganad content producers

Member of Parliament Atty. Maisara Dandamun-Latiph hands over a plaque of recognition and Samsung Tablet to one of the winners for Best Content Producer for Siyap ko Kapaganad Program. (Angelo Dologmandin/PIA Lanao del Sur)

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur--A member of the Bangsamoro Parliament (MP) recognized the 120 teachers and ICT focal persons and coordinators in the three schools divisions of Lanao del Sur for their exemplary commitment and contributions as video content producers of "Siyap Ko Kapaganad" Program. 

The program which literally means "care for education" was conceptualized by the Office of MP Atty. Maisara Dandamun-Latiph to provide accessible video learning materials, modules, and other education-related materials for Kindergarten up to Senior High School.

"This cannot be possible to achieve without the continuing support and strong commitment of your divisions. We have the best interest of children in mind and we believe that in this time of pandemic no one child should be left behind," MP Latiph said during the turnover of the program to Lanao del Sur I, Lanao del Sur II, and Marawi City Schools Divisions on Friday, October 22.

Apart from getting a plaque of recognition from the MP, three best content producers from each of the three schools divisions also received free tablets.

Teacher Jumanah Balangi, one of the video content producers from Lanao del Sur I Schools Division, likened the program to a vehicle that takes its passengers to their destination amidst an unfavorable environment. 

"As teachers, especially those within the umbrella of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), we always hope and we always dream that no Bangsamoro learner will be left behind. From the onset of this pandemic, our commitment appears to be impossible, our destination became unreachable. Fortunately, with the timely introduction and implementation of the Siyap Ko Kapaganad Program, we have been able to offer continuity of education to our Bangsamoro learners despite the disruptions in face-to-face classes," she said.

Teacher Jumanah Balangi, one of the video content producers from Lanao del Sur I Schools Division, cites the implementation of the Siyap Ko Kapaganad Program as timely and helped them provide continuity of education to Bangsamoro learners despite the disruptions in face-to-face classes. (Angelo Dologmandin/PIA Lanao del Sur)

She admitted that the program was challenging to implement and sometimes she tapped family members to be part of her production. But her persistence, passion for education, and willingness to sacrifice for the learners made her work lighter, fun, and interesting.

"Though we encountered so much and multi-tasked in this field of profession, still we committed to this platform just to extend to our Bangsamoro learners the MBHTE curriculum which has been contextualized," said Teacher Jhalilah Pandita, a content producer from the Marawi City Schools Division.

Teacher Alibon Mangigin from Lanao del Sur II Schools Division shared that he accepted the task as a video content producer because he wants Bangsamoro children to learn from the videos. “I made my decision to accept the task because I am a teacher and Allah made me a teacher to mold the Bangsamoro learners. I really want my learners to learn more information with my videos," he said.

MP Latiph hopes the teachers will continue to support the program so that Bangsamoro children will get the education they deserve. "The best teachers are what drives the Siyap ko Kapaganad," Latiph said as she encouraged the teachers to continue their joy, passion, and commitment in teaching to contribute to the future of Bangsamoro learners.

The MP also looks forward to the replication of the program to other areas in the Bangsamoro region. 

She said Lanao del Sur is the first in the region to produce a website of video learning materials and possibly the first in the country to use the mother tongue as the language in the produced video content. (APB/PIA Lanao del Sur)

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