AS THE K-12 program of the Department of Education (DepEd) starts this school year, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA) Philippine Cultural Education Program (PCEP) prepares high-school educators in public schools nationwide to have a culture-based approach in their lessons.

PCEP, in partnership with DepEd and Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation Inc., conducted Kaguruang Makabayan: National Training on Culture-Based Education Curriculum and Lesson Exemplar Competition (Kaguma), which gathered over 800 participants from different parts of the country.

Kaguma was held in three different venues: Albay for Luzon participants on April 8-10; Aklan for Visayas, April 15-17; and Surigao for Mindanao, April 22-24.

PCEP director Sonny Cristobal said there was an urgent need to equip teachers with ways of using cultural icons, traditions and art in teaching.

The program “seeks to provide public-school teachers with comprehensive training in developing lesson exemplars and applied classrooms teaching methodologies that explore Multiple Intelligence and Mother-Tongue-Based Multilingual Education through culture-based, integrative and interactive teaching approaches and strategies across the K-12 curriculum.”

Those who gave lectures and seminars include Ferdinand Lopez of University of Santo Tomas; Arvin Villalon; and Orlando Magno, head of the NCCA’s Subcommission on Cultural Dissemination. The workshop covered teachers of Social Studies, Arts, Mathematics, Science, English and Values Education.

Teachers, principals and education supervisors participated in Kaguma.
“We invited everyone so we can have a holistic approach,” Cristobal said.

While the program had yet to make an impact, Cristobal said it was getting more support from various sectors.

He said he was tapping the local government units so locals would realize the importance of culture and history.

Nimfa Hasan, a teacher of Social Studies in Zamboanga City High School, said she was very glad she participated in Kaguma.

Hasan said she hoped to impart to students the appreciation of culture and heritage.

Magno said he recognized teachers might be reluctant to adopt a culture-based approach in lesson planning, but with the partnership with DepEd, the reluctance might be checked.