A private Catholic school in Cebu City and a state university are partnering to make the new basic education curriculum work.
In what is dubbed as a “win-win” solution, the St. Joseph Academy (SJA) entered into a contract with Cebu State University (CTU) to share expertise especially for the senior high school levels of K+12 curriculum.
This solution addresses the mutual needs and interests of both institutions. SJA will provide the projected shortfall in freshmen enrolment with the introduction grade 11 and 12 in basic education.
The CTU on the other hand will fill the lack of expertise of SJU in the specialized curriculum which seeks to provide basic education graduates with the necessary vocational skills.
“St. Joseph Academy (SJA) is under a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Cebu Technological University (CTU). They will help us in terms of providing expertise in the specialized curriculum of senior high,” SJA principal Perlita Quiñones told Cebu Daily News.
The MOA will be effective in the second semester for the school’s grade nine level, said Quiñones.
Several preparatory activities were done by schools in preparation for the new educational system. Seminars, fora, workshops and researches among others were conducted for the past two years, she added.
There are however modifications in the actual implementation of the program compared to public schools, Quiñones said.
The school chief said they have incorporated the mother tongue in the homeroom, values education and music classes through Visayan songs.
Using English as the main medium of instruction in major subjects is continued to maintain global competitiveness in terms of language as expected from private schools, she added. /Jessa J. Agua, Correspondent