Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment
SEARICE, Central Philippines State University ink agreement
to teach agroecology, right to food
Front row: SEARICE executive director, Normita Ignacio, and CPSU president, Dr. Aladino Moraca
Standing: Jolly Gariando, Public Schools Division Supervisor; Olive Seruelo, SEARICE Coordinator for Visayas; Dr. Maryvic Pedrosa, Director, Product Enterprise Division Office, CPSU; and Junry Esparar, Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division, Department of Education
SEARICE, the Central Philippines State University (CPSU), and the Schools Division Office of the Department of Education in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, have marked a milestone in a project to enhance the capacities of teachers to instruct students in agroecology and the right to food. Through a project launched during the signing of a Memorandum of Partnership (MOP) between SEARICE executive director, Normita Ignacio, and CPSU president, Dr. Aladino Moraca, on October 21, 2022, the partner institutions will integrate the teaching of agroecology, as well as take steps towards developing a Teachers’ Guidebook that will be used by SEARICE partner schools all over Southeast Asia.
One of three workshops held in 2023 to develop lesson exemplars for the curriculum on agroecology and right to food. The workshop participants included teachers, writers, authors and officials in charge of curriculum integration in 11 Divisions, CPSU, and MDM-Sagay College in Negros Occidental.
The project consisted of three separate workshops held in 2023 to develop lesson exemplars, which were enhanced with inputs from SEARICE and other experts. The project participants—which included teachers, writers, authors and officials in charge of curriculum integration in 11 Divisions, CPSU, and MDM-Sagay College in Negros Occidental, also got the chance to observe CPSU’s vermicast production and to go on field visits to crop production sites. The MOP aims to replicate this experiential learning in the classrooms.
A final writeshop was held on February 4 to 6 to produce a manual of Lesson Exemplars of Farm Schools, Science, Technology and Livelihood Education and Technical Vocational and Livelihood Education of Grades 7 and 8. The Teachers’ Guidebook is expected to be published in the first quarter of 2024.