Advocacy for teachers makes mark

MANILA, Philippines—Gabay Guro, a project of PLDT Smart Foundation, has won several awards for its efforts to help improve education in the country in a sustainable way.

The program started in 2007 when employee-volunteers of PLDT Managers Club Inc. thought of helping alleviate poverty by improving education through a program that will help teachers teach better.

The idea was that one good and well-motivated teacher could influence hundreds, even thousands of students.

Harnessing innovative partnerships and the creative use of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Group’s resources, Gabay Guro program (2G) consists of six core elements: (1) educational grants, (2) training, (3) teachers’ tribute cards, (4) livelihood, (5) broadbanding and computerization of public schools and (6) housing.

The foundation made 2G one of its flagship programs.

Under the program, college students taking up education get scholarships that cover tuition and other fees, which include a modest monthly allowance. Starting with 15 scholars in 2007, the program had 268 scholars and 23 partner-schools in 2010-2011.

It received recently an Award of Merit during the annual Anvil Awards that recognizes excellent public relations programs and tools that support and encourage good values and genuine service for the society.

Gabay Guro has also won a Gold Quill Award for excellence in communication management for projects aimed at economic, social and environmental development.

The program aims to have 478 scholars by 2013-2014, with five scholars per year in every province.

A partnership with Smart Money ensures scholars get their allowances. PLDT SME Nation’s clients have also sponsored scholars.

ePLDT Ventus has given selected teachers from public schools AmSpeak instruction to improve their English. With the assistance of PLDT’s ISO-certified human resources department, scores of teachers benefited from out-of-the-box teaching methods and e-learning modules.

Netopia, an affiliate of PLDT, allows Gabay Guro to use its facilities to train teachers on computer use, particularly Microsoft applications. So far, more than a thousand teachers nationwide have attended one or all seminars under the program.

Gabay Guro Teachers’ Tribute Card is a discount card that can be used to purchase goods and services from partner-establishments like SM Department Store, National Book Store, Air Philippines, Burger King, Enchanted Kingdom, Binalot, VillMan Computers and PC Express.

Special activities are organized during Teachers’ Week such as special lunches and tours by partner establishments.

During the last Teachers Week celebration, teachers were treated to a star-studded tribute concert in Music Hall of Mall of Asia.

As livelihood is considered an important part of helping teachers, teachers and their families have been tapped as sales agents for PLDT and Smart products and services.

They get 25-percent discounts on PLDT myDSL subscription plans and enjoy easy credit from program partner ASA Philippines Foundation, a microfinance institution for the poor, to help them start their own businesses.

Under broadbanding and computerization of public schools, the program has given three schools free Internet access for a limited period. Computer donations have been made since 2007.

This complements 2G’s seminars for teachers and encourages teachers and students to access free educational resources on the Internet and use them for creative teaching and learning.

In September, 2G, the government of Daet (Camarines Norte), through City Mayor Tito Sarion, and Education Secretary Brother Armin A. Luistro, FSC, signed an agreement for a pioneer housing project for teachers.

2G teacher communities are now also being set up in Bacoor, Cavite, offering affordable housing so some 100 teacher-beneficiaries.

Partnerships with other local government officials have also been established for future housing projects.

Last year, 2G chair Chaye A. Cabal, also PLDT FVP and controller, discussed the 2G program at 2010 Nations Private Sector Forum on Millennium Development Goals. 2G was considered a model platform that could help improve education in other member-countries of the United Nations.

Cabal said 2G could be adopted in other countries to help produce better-skilled teachers.