Australia supports Filipino ‘teacher-leaders’ to improve quality of teaching in the Philippines
13 May 2014
Australia continues to help improve the quality of education in the Philippines by strengthening the leadership and professional excellence of Filipino teachers.
Eight outstanding Filipino teachers of the Metrobank Foundation Inc participated in a two-week Strengthening Leadership and Teaching Excellence Skills (SLATES) program in Australia from 27 April – 10 May 2014.
The SLATES program is one of the Australian Government’s education initiatives to assist the Philippines in its efforts to professionalise the teaching profession and improve the delivery of education services and quality of education for the Filipino children.
“Australia is pleased to be working in close partnership with the Philippines towards achieving better learning outcomes for Filipino children. Our support to outstanding teachers stems from the fact that teachers play a significant role in delivering quality education and building a better future for the Filipino children,” Australian Embassy Chargé d’Affaires David Dutton said.
Now in its fourth year, the SLATES program is implemented by the Queensland University of Technology in partnership with the Queensland Education Leadership Institute which provided international benchmarking experience to the Filipino teachers through first-hand exposure to globally-recognised teaching programs in Australia.
The program included visits to the K to 12 schools in the states of Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia. The school visits and discussions with leaders also exposed the Filipino teachers to implementation strategies of K to 12 curriculum and assessment in each state, including the framework for the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The teachers also attended a ‘Practical Resilience Workshop’ along with teachers from Queensland, and a workshop on developing key leadership skills.
Upon the teachers’ return to Manila, they participated in a two-day planning session with their school principals to build strategies – based on what they have learned from Australia – to implement action plans for their own schools to support the Department of Education’s K to 12 Strategy.
“Education is the flagship initiative of Australia’s development cooperation program with the Philippines. I am proud of the crucial contribution Australia continues to make in education, a key area of need for the future of the Philippines,” said Mr Dutton.
“The Australian Government looks forward to seeing how the Filipino teacher-leaders will use international best practices to local schools, and to witness how the gains of the local programs benefit and inspire the Filipino children.”
The outstanding teachers have been selected as the best among the best in the education profession in the Philippines. Sent to Australia were: Fely A. Batiloy (Special Education Integrated School for Exceptional Children in Iloilo City), Mitchel V. Rodriguez (Odiongan Central School in Gingoog City, Northern Mindanao), Cherry G. Vinluan (Guagua Elementary School in Pampanga), Rodel C. Sampang (Pedro Guevarra Elementary School in Manila), Dominique J. Maquiran (University of the Philippines Highschool in Iloilo City), Marcelo V. Otinguey (Ampusongan National High School in Bakun, Benguet), Maria Teresa M. Bautista (Bacnotan National High School in La Union) and Maria Lorna L. Garnace (Philippine Science High School in Palo, Leyte).