Telco continues to support Sendong-affected schools

AFTER providing free calls and over P3 million in donations to help survivors of typhoon Sendong, Smart Communications Inc. again turned over additional equipment, school supplies and slippers to affected public schools in Cagayan de Oro City.

Some 6,300 students and 245 teachers from seven public high schools and two public elementary schools that are Smart’s partners in the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP) and CommuniTeach — two education initiatives under its corporate social responsibility program Kabalikat — will benefit from the donation.

Smart also turned over portable water filters to three CDO schools that are still suffering from shortage of drinking water after the city’s water distribution lines were damaged by the floods brought by Sendong.

Dr. Myrna Motoomull, Schools Division Superintendent, received the donation.

Smart is helping implement the DLP in public high schools of Balulang, Iponan, Bulua, Angeles Sisters, Carmen, Bonbon and Puntod.

The DLP is an innovative teaching method introduced by 2010 Ramon Magsaysay awardees Dr. Christopher Bernido and Dr. Maria Victoria Carpio-Bernido, where 70 to 80 percent is student activities and only 20 to 30 is percent lecture.

The non-traditional approach to learning has proven disaster-resistant, given the lack of reliance on textbooks and the minimal supervision required from teachers.

The telco is also working with community partners in implementing CommuniTeach at the public elementary schools of Consolacion and Maslog, the latter having been adopted by Smart school partner Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan.

CommuniTeach aims to improve learning among the lowest performing public elementary school students through the active participation of the parents and the community in the mentoring of the children.