Nationwide contests to boost 2 educational programs launched

The Department of Education (DepEd) has launched competitions to promote two of its major initiatives.

In a bid to boost environmental education, DepEd, with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, is conducting a photography and video-making competition.

The Art Eskwela Eco-Campaign, a photo essay (Ekolitrato) and video-making (Ekomersyal) contest for students in public and private high schools, aims to heighten awareness of environmental issues among Filipino students.

Deadline for submission of entries to the competition, which is open to students of any public and private high school, is December 15.

At the same time, DepEd launched a nationwide search for the local school division that showed best practices in reaching out to out-of-school youth and adults.

The competition aims to promote alternative modes of education.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said DepEd would be looking for provincial and city divisions that could serve as examples in the implementation of the Alternative Learning System (ALS), a program that aims to bring free education to those outside the formal school system.

Nominations will be accepted until Feb. 15, 2012.

School divisions in city and provincial levels implementing ALS programs are eligible.

In a memorandum, Luistro said the photo/video contest hoped to encourage schools to get more involved in protecting the environment and “break the indifference” toward green issues among the youth.

The competition, he said, aimed to “strengthen awareness of pupils, students, teachers and administrators on issues concerning the environment such as global warming, climate change, waste management, pollution and resource depletion.”

It also sought to tap the power of the visual arts to engage the youth in environmental advocacy and “assist the nation in building an environmentally conscious society,” the secretary added.

Entries may be in the form of a photo essay of at least five photographs “that tell a story” related to the environment.

Students may also submit one-minute videos or advertisements that “touch the hearts and minds of viewers to become environmentally conscious” and “change the mindset of youth who are becoming more and more indifferent to problems concerning our environment,” DepEd said.

Photographs may be e-mailed to [email protected] or submitted in CDs to the DepEd Center for Students and Co-curricular Affairs (CSCA) at the DepEd Central Office in Pasig City. Video entries must be submitted in CDs to the CSCA office.

Shortlisted photo essays and videos will be uploaded in the CSCA Facebook page (www.facebook.com/csca.deped) for online voting, which will comprise 20 percent of total points.

Submitted works will be adjudged for the story (30 percent), relevance to the theme (30 percent), technicality (10 percent) and overall impact (10 percent).

Winners in the environmental contest, who will be announced early next year, will receive cash prizes and mobile phones.

As for the ALS competition, Luistro said in DepEd memorandum 245 that it “aims to recognize division offices for their efficient use of resources and exemplary performance in the promotion of literacy in the country.”

He said, “ALS is a very laudable program of the department which must be implemented with optimum efficiency so that we can reach as many learners as possible.”

DepEd said criteria for judging would be: human resources management, learner management and program implementation management, each accounting for 25 percent of the scores; material resource management and financial management, each worth 10 percent; and stakeholder and community management, for the remaining five percent.

Nominations may be sent to: Office of the Director, Bureau of Alternative Learning System, DepEd Central Office. The top three projects will be awarded in ceremonies in April 2012.