He heads a highly-urbanized city; she, a fifth-class municipality. Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian and Villaverde, Nueva Vizcaya Mayor Ronelie Ubando-Valtoribio may find themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their locality’s size, population, and revenues, but they have something in common.
Their local government units (LGU) are two of 17 recipients of the Synergeia Foundation’s Seal of Good Education Governance. This is a feat that both have achieved for the second straight year.
“Our elation this time around is even more heartfelt because this win builds on the first and confirms that we are doing things right, that all our hard work in giving our children a better education is paying off,” says Valtoribio.
Gatchalian thanks Synergeia and its partners for the recognition which is “proof of our dedication to education.”
“This Seal inspires and motivates us to sustain our efforts and find more ways to enhance the public school system in our respective localities,” he says.
There are 41 public elementary schools and 19 high schools in Valenzuela City that cater to about 70,000 to 80,000 students. In contrast, there are 13 public elementary schools and 1 public high school in Villaverde, of which 4,000 students are 14 years old and below, says Valtoribio.
Qualifications for the Seal
These numbers may not put both LGUs on the same footing, but the performance metrics drawn by the Synergeia Foundation to determine the Seal recipients do.
Valenzuela City and Villaverde, Nueva Vizcaya registered high scores against a 5-point assessment scale that measured how they ensured the active participation of their local school boards and school governing councils.
They also reduced the number of non-readers and frustrated readers in their locality by at least 20 percent, surpassed the national average of 80% for cohort-survival rate (percentage of first graders who went on to sixth grade), and increased their budgets for education.
Technology package
As Seal recipients, the two LGUs will receive customized technology packages from PLDT and Smart.
Valtoribio looks forward to using the Smart School-in-a-Bag to improve the learning performance of public schoolchildren in Villaverde’s remote areas. “There are pre-loaded apps that can help enhance reading and comprehension, among others,” she says.
A component of the technology package, the Smart School-in-a-Bag contains a solar panel to serve schools without electricity, mobile devices, curriculum-based educational content, teacher training, monitoring and evaluation.
The technology package may also include the installation and maintenance of Smart WiFi in the LGU’s nominated university or college and provision of Infocast, a web-based solution that will allow the LGU to broadcast announcements and receive feedback via text message. Seal recipients will also receive smartphones and a cash prize.
Constituents from each of the 17 Seal recipients who will sign up for KasamaKA will also get a free three-month micro-insurance coverage from FINTQ, the financial technology arm of PLDT-Smart digital unit Voyager Innovations. KasamaKA is a community-based, self-help, income-generating and inclusive ecosystem-building movement.
Gatchalian says that he intends to repeat what he did last year and give a big chunk of the prizes to Valenzuela City’s smaller schools, particularly those located near the greater Bulacan province.
Maximizing resources
“The need will always be greater than the available resources,” says Gatchalian. This is why he urges fellow chief executives to use data to identify needs and determine programs, their recipients, and any needed intervention.
Data gathered for weigh-ins of public school kids, for example, allowed them to run a targeted feeding program and left them with funds for other components of the City’s award-winning Education 360 Investment program, he says. A weigh-in conducted midway allowed them to make adjustments, while one conducted at the end of the program gave them conclusive results.
He stresses the importance of data gathering, storage, and analysis to come up with cost-efficient programs that address real needs and upgrade existing ones.
The same holds true for Valtoribio who held a summer feeding program because the weight of a significant number of students reduced during the school break based on the results of a weigh-in conducted at the end of a schoolyear and a follow-up at the start of the succeeding schoolyear.
Like Gatchalian, she trusts that data will help her maximize her Special Education Fund (SEF). “We are the smallest and the poorest among the towns in Nueva Vizcaya,” she says.
Community involvement
Another way to offset limited resources is getting all the stakeholders in the community involved, says Gatchalian.
“When you get everyone – parents, education graduates or students, the whole DepEd (Department of Education) family, the machinery of City Hall – to push for literacy, then nothing is impossible. Resources suddenly become unlimited because you have tons and tons of volunteers willing to help,” he adds.
Smart vice-president for community relations Darwin Flores agrees that “innovative solutions to learning challenges work only when all major stakeholders are committed to solving these problems.”
“This is why it gives us so much hope to see all these LGUs deeply involved in improving the basic education of their constituents,” he adds during the awarding rites.
The Seal of Good Education Governance was first awarded in 2017 by Synergeia – a coalition of individuals and organizations working closely with LGUs – to promote transparency, accountability, and excellence in the delivery of basic education by local governments units.
Good web site you’ve got here.. It’s difficult to find good quality writing like yours nowadays.
I seriously appreciate individuals like you!
Take care!!
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a colleague who has been doing a little research on this.
And he actually bought me dinner due to the fact that I stumbled upon it for him…
lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!!
But yeah, thanks for spending some time to discuss this topic here on your site.
Currently it appears like WordPress is the best blogging platform
out there right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using
on your blog? my homepage: online viagra australia
Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot
about this, like you wrote the book in it or something.
I think that you can do with a few pics to drive the message home a little bit, but instead off that, this is fantastic blog.
A great read. I’ll certainly be back.
Look at my webpage;gloucester conservatories (Barrett)
Appreciate this post. Will try iit out.
Heere iss my homepage – double glazing (Lorrine)
What i don’t realize is actually how you’re now not actually
much more well-favored than you may be now.
You are very intelligent. You recognize thus significantly on the subject of this topic,
produced me individually believe it from numerous
varied angles. Its like men and women aren’t involved except it’s something to do with Woman gaga!
Your personal stuffs nice. Always deal with it up!
Good day! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group?
There’s a lot of people thaat I think would really enjoy yolur content.
Pllease let me know. Cheers
Feel free to surf to my site … takeaway in gloucester (Dane)
I’m amazed, I hav too admit. Seldom doo I enounter a blog that’s both educative and
amusing, and without a doubt,you have hit thee nail onn the head.
The isszue is something that not enough people are speaking intelligently about.
I’m very happy that I found this during my hunbt for something concerning this.
my webpage double glazing (Clinton)
Hey there this is somewhat of off topic but I
was wanting too know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if yoou
have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog
soon buut have no coding skjlls so I wanted to
get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly
appreciated!
my site – chinese restaurant food gloucester (Kandi)
If you wish for to improve your familiarity simply keep visiting this web pagge and be updatged with the most recent information posted here.
Here is my page gloucester conservatories (Nan)
Good blog post. I absolutely appreciate this website. Thanks!
Here is my homepage; gloucester conservatories –
Kazuko –
it
This iis a topic which is near to mmy heart… Many thanks!
Exactly whuere are yyour coontact details though?
my webpage glooucester conservatories (Sophia)
Good day! This iis my 1st commejt here so I jut wanted to give a quick shout out and say
I trujly enjoy reading through your articles.
Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the samne topics?
Thanks a lot!
стяжка полов цены homepage укладка плитки
Wow, awesome blog layout! How long have you been bloging
for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is magnificent,
as well as the content!
Here iis my web site: double glazing (Alexandra)
What’s up, of course this paragraph is actually good and I have learned lot of things from it regarding blogging.
thanks.
Very shortly this site will be famous among all blog users, due to it’s nice content
Also visit my blog post 918kaya new
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for mega888apk download
Here is my website; kiosk mega888
I’m extremely pleased to discovber this page. I wanted to thank you for ones
time for this wonderful read!! I definitely loved every part of
itt and I have you saved to fav to check oout new information in your blog.
My web-site: double glazing; Daisy,
If somje one wants to be updated with latest technologies therefore
he must bee go to see this web page and be up to date every day.
Also visit my web blog; double glazing (Betty)
Hi, i think that i saw you visited my site thus i came to
“return the favor”.I’m trying to find things to improve my site!I suppose its ok
to use some of your ideas!!
Hey There. I discovered your weblog the usage of msn. This is a
very smartly written article. I will be sure to
bookmark it and return to learn extra of your useful info.
Thank you for the post. I’ll certainly comeback.
Have a look at my website; mega888 malaysia
Good day! Would you mind if I sare your blog with my twitter group?There’s a lot of people that I thijk would really appreciate
your content. Please let me know. Thanks
Here iss my blog post; double glazing (Monserrate)
Great post. I was checking continuously this weblog and I’m inspired!
Very helpful information specially the final part :
) I maintain such information a lot. I used to be seeking this certain information for a very lengthy time.
Thank you and good luck.
Wow! In the end I got a webpage from where I be capable of truly take helpful facts regarding my study and knowledge.
My site … mega888
My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find almost all of your
post’s to be exactly I’m looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content in your
case? I wouldn’t mind writing a post or elaborating
on some of the subjects you write regarding here. Again, awesome blog!
my website :: Downloadxe88
Hey there! I understand this is kind of off-topic but
I had to ask. Does building a well-established website such as yours require a lot
of work? I’m brand new to running a blog but I ddo write in my diary
every day. I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to shzre
mmy own experience and thoughts online. Please let
me know if you have any kind of recommendatons
orr tips for new aspiring bloggers. Appreciate it!
Have a look at my web-site: double glazing (Kimberley)
Wow! At last I got a weblog from where I be able to
really obtain helpful facts concerning my study and knowledge.
My blog post – scr mega888
Hi, everything is going nicely here and ofcourse every one is sharing information, that’s really good, keep
up writing.
Look at my web page mega888 download
With havin so much written content do you ever run into any problems
of plagorism or copyright violation? My site has a lot
of exclusive content I’ve either created myself or outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my permission.
Do you know any techniques to help stop content from being ripped off?
I’d definitely appreciate it.
my homepage; slot game mega888
I’m not sure exactly why but this site is loading extremely slow
for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem
on my end? I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.
my homepage; Download Mega888
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment
is added I get several emails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove people from that service?
Appreciate it!
Here is my web blog: mega888 malaysia (wiki.cordoba.gob.ar)
Good web site you have got here.. It’s hard to find good quality writing like yours nowadays.
I seriously appreciate individuals like you! Take
care!!
Here is my webpage :: download mega888 android
I every time emailed this web site post page to all my
contacts, since if like to read it next my links will
too.
my website :: mega888 trusted company