Basilan and Sulu teachers undergo civic education training
As the prospects for a new peace agreement brightens, PCCED, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its Enhancing Governance Accountability and Engagement (ENGAGE) program, held its first ever Civic Education Training Seminar (CETS) for Araling Panlipunan teachers in Sulu and Basilan. The workshop was held in Zamboanga City last November 5-7, 2014.
The 70 AP teachers who participated were trained how to strengthen the civics components of the social studies subjects they are handling including Philippine history, world history, Asian history, Economics and the new grade 10 subject, Contemporary Issues.
In his message, ENGAGE Chief of Party, Mr. Barry Reed, emphasized the significance of civic education in efforts to forge a lasting peace in Mindanao. “The idea of civic education rests on strengthening citizen participation,” he explained, “we hope the peace agreement will usher in not just the cessation of hostilities but also good governance.”
During his session entitled, “The Philippines is a Nation in Progress”, Dr. Clement Camposano stressed the need to rethink the idea that there is one nation and one culture. “We are a plurality, we are a nation with many cultures. And the development of our nation rests on our ability to have a more inclusive notion of what it means to be Filipino.”
The teachers were also trained in Project Citizen (PC) which is the service learning component of CETS. It is designed to teach students what democracy is by letting them go through the public policy making process in their community. Teachers were trained how to implement PC in their classroom where their students will be given the opportunity to research and engage their community on the prevalent problems and issues. They will then develop a public policy designed to solve that problem. In PC, students are trained not just to identify problems but to collaborate in looking for solutions.
PCCED executive director Reynald Trillana expressed the hope that the trainings will form the first significant step to improve local governance in Muslim Mindanao. “We should all welcome and lobby for the ratification of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, but we have to ensure that the process is participatory. This means that government must ensure consultations with people and more importantly, that the people are prepared to meaningfully participate as they build the new Bangsamoro.”
The worskhops were held in partnership with USAID-ENGAGE and the Department of Education-ARMM.
