Globe celebrates National Teachers Month: Equipping teachers with 21st century skills

MANILA, Philippines - As second parents to millions of children across the country and a source of guidance for them well into adulthood, our teachers play a central role in shaping the Filipino people. In celebration of National Teachers’ Month, which started on Sept. 5, Globe Telecom recognizes the importance of teachers in nation-building through its Global Filipino Teacher (GFT) and Global Filipino School (GFS) programs. Harnessing the power of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Globe aims to guide teachers in bringing 21st century learning into their classrooms.

Fernando Esguerra, OIC for Globe Telecom’s corporate social responsibility program, says, “The world is changing rapidly, yet many of our teachers do not have enough resources to help them fully prepare their students for the challenges that lie ahead. Through the GFT and GFS programs, we hope to equip underserved schools across the country with the training and tools they need to deliver quality education in the 21st century.”

Launched in 2009, the Global Filipino Teacher program trains teachers on Effective Classroom Management using ICT. Going beyond just teaching GFTs to integrate ICT in the classroom, the program also trains them to conduct problem-based learning. To date, the program has benefitted 342 schools across 12 regions nationwide, and has produced 262 proficient Global Filipino Teachers.

Shateen Serana, a GFT from Taluksangay National High School in Zamboanga City, shares, “Because of the GFT program, I won the Microsoft Search for Innovative Teachers Leadership Award, and was able to go to Hong Kong, New Zealand, Dubai, and Czech Republic. I started to motivate my colleagues to use technology and problem-based learning in teaching. The GFT program also gave me and my students confidence that we can be globally competitive.”

Globe believes it’s not enough to train teachers on ICT. To fully maximize all that they’ve learned in training, teachers need an environment that’s conducive to 21st century learning. This is where the Global Filipino School Program comes in. The program seeks to provide schools with computers and laptops, as well as Internet connections.

Globe provided the pilot school, Bilar National High School in Bohol, two computer labs furnished with 25 computers in December 2012. The school also houses one proficient Global Filipino Teacher, who is tasked to train other teachers on using ICT in the classroom. The result? Community interest increased to generate more than 100 additional applications to the school, and even more impressive is that 4th year National Secondary Achievement Test (NSAT) scores increased by 15% that year. These results stand testament to the power of ICT to engage both teachers and students in the classroom.

Land-locked and located three hours away from Tagbilaran City, Bilar is heavily reliant on its farming, bahay-kubo, and furniture-making industries. By equipping the only high school of this 4th class municipality with tech and training, Globe hopes that teachers and students alike are able to further widen their knowledge and skills, and to develop ICT innovations and new opportunities for their community.

The GFT and GFS programs demonstrate that more than just being Globe Telecom’s core business, ICT is a key component in the company’s approach for achieving maximum social impact in underserved communities.