conference aims to share the learnings from the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development ( ), the RIO+20 Conference held

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1 innotech n e w s l e t t e r A Publication of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH), Quezon City, Philippines October - December 2012 ISSN Aquino officially opens the 13th IC P hilippine President Benigno Aquino III officially opened SEAMEO INNOTECH s 13th International Conference through a keynote speech. The conference held last December 1113, 2012 in EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City gathers a number of education professionals from different parts of the globe to share and discuss more about Education for Sustainable Development. Also present in the conference is Department of Education Secretary Br. Armin Luistro, FSC, who gave a brief introduction of Aquino. Aquino s speech talked about the roles of technology in advancing the education status in the Philippines, and during calamities. INNOTECH holds conference on ESD S EAMEO INNOTECH recently convened the 13th International Conference (2012IC) at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City last December 11-13, The 3-day conference is a biennial event that is attended by education professionals from different parts of the world. With the theme Educating for the Future We Want: A Green Southeast Asia, the IN THIS ISSUE: conference aims to share the learnings from the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development ( ), the RIO+20 Conference held last June 2012, the UN Literacy Decade ( ), and the pursuit of the ASEAN 2015 vision. >> continued on page 3 According to him, the use of technology in education provided the youth some alternative spaces for learning, since learning is a lifelong process that does not necessarily have to be limited inside the classroom. It exposed students to the practical and experience-based form of learning. We can speak of the consequences of climate change, but it is the difficult lessons of the everyday the storms and devastation wrought in the Philippines that make >> continued on page 2 INNOTECH launches new knowledge products SEAMEO Centers present ESD projects Dr. Stefanos Fotiou of UNEP presents outcomes of RIO+20 summit Indonesian university officials visit the PH for HELM Project INNOTECH offers blended learning course on Excellence in Leading Curricular and Instructional Reforms for Continuing School Improvement Director Bacani attends high officials meeting INNOTECH holds forum on Secondary Education Reform Legarda encourages proactive response to climate change INNOTECH conducts regional study of Water, Sanitation and Hygience in Primary Schools in SEA INNOTECH holds K to 12 capacity building program DepEd Zambales INNOTECH holds forum on global education reforms

2 Aquino opens... (from page 1) these consequences a reality, Aquino pointed out. The President said that new technologies have saved many lives in the past typhoons, especially in the recent disaster caused by Typhoon Pablo, through improved weather forecasting and flood warning systems. He praised PAGASA for being able to predict the path and strength of Typhoon Pablo three days before it hits the country. The internet and social networking sites were also a great help in times of crisis because it allowed people to be proactive. Example is the sharing of information through Twitter. According to Aquino, the use of unified hashtags (the keywords used in Twitter to categorize posts) allowed users to easily get information such as suspension of classes, where to donate, places to be rescued, and other emergencies. Through these social media platforms, everyone may get involved and take part in the relief and rescue operations. Articles and alerts, as well as bulletins, were also posted immediately in the Official Gazette website during the typhoon with the help of different media outlets, private citizens and other agencies of the government. The ASEAN Coordination Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), which is based in Jakarta, has been using the alerts and articles of the Official Gazette to update their regional network, Aquino said. The President also mentioned that these experiences have taught people to responsibly use technology, empower people, facilitate knowledge dissemination, and advance causes that redound to the benefit of all. In line with this, Aquino encouraged everyone to come together in mutual respect, openness to dialogue, and cooperation. The 13th International Conference, according to Aquino, is one of the ways to increase the level of public discourse. Your tradition (of helping Southeast Asian peoples) continues today with a conference specifically geared towards sustainable development: utilizing education, innovation, and technology for a green Southeast Asia, he added. He also expressed his gratitude to the Center for the initiatives that helped in advancing the state of education in the Philippines for the past 36 years, and said that he and INNOTECH have the same thinking that education is an important component in stimulating inclusive growth. SEAMEO INNOTECH s tradition of helping Southeast Asian peoples continues today with a conference specifically geared towards sustainable development: utilizing education, innovation, and technology for a green Southeast Asia. 3 2 innotechnewsletter October-December2012

3 Conference on ESD... (from page 1) The Philippine President Benigno Aquino III was the Keynote Speaker at the Opening Ceremonies of the conference that was attended by around 200 participants. The President was introduced by Education Secretary Br. Armin Luistro, FSC. INNOTECH launches new knowledge products F ollowing the Center s vision and mission, INNOTECH continuously crafts various education solutions and has come up with three new knowledge products at the end of Two of these products are public course offerings under the iflex program SEAeXCELS and LEADeXCELS. The SEAeXCELS (Excellence in School Leadership for Southeast Asia: Promoting an Understanding of the Southeast Asia Community) is a flexible learning course designed for the basic education school heads that focuses on the understanding of the Southeast Asian community. Materials for the course are provided in various forms CDs, printed materials, and web-based modules. Also available are chat rooms and online boards for further discussions. Materials for the LEADeXCELS (Excellence in Leading Education in Emergency Situations for Southeast Asian School Heads), on the other hand, are currently being developed. LEADeXCELS focuses on disaster risk reduction and management, and is the Center s humanitarian response to emergency situations. Once the materials are developed, a pilot-testing October-December2012 is expected to run from October 2013 to December The last product is a complementary toolkit for the ASEAN Vision called Weaving Identities. The toolkit contains different information and resources about Southeast Asia its culture, economy, political heritage that educators can use to teach about the region and help foster among its learners a stronger sense of being Southeast Asians by knowing more about the commonalities and diversity in the region. The online resource for the toolkit can be found at: seameo-innotech.org/seatoolkit/. The site allows users to download various classroom resources, and to contribute by uploading their own teaching materials. The plenary speakers featured leading educators across Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. Among the lead plenary speakers is Dr. Stefanos Fotiou, Senior Regional Coordinator, Resource Efficiency of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Dr. Fotiou presented the principal outcomes of the Rio+20 Earth Summit and their implications to education. Senator Loren Legarda shared her views on the value of education in forming environment-oriented values among the young people during the last day of the conference. The Conference also featured videoconference sessions with speakers as the Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and with the World Bank Resident Mission in Beijing. SEAMEO s Deputy Director Dr. Tinsiri Siribodhi and representatives from different SEAMEO Centers were also present during the conference. They presented various ESD programs and activities implemented by their respective centers through a panel discussion. The roles of the youth in ESD were also acknowledged through the presentations of young social entrepreneur Mr. Ponce Ernest Samaniego, and the 2012 International Children s Peace Prize recipient, Mr. Criz Kesz Valdez. Weaving Identities and SEAeXCELS were both launched during the second day of the 13th International Conference held last December 1113, 2012 at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City. The launching was led by Mr. Robbie Macalde of the Center s Flexible Learning Solutions Unit, while Dr. Lilibeth Taa delivered a presentation on LEADeXCELS. innotechnewsletter 3

4 4 SEAMEO Centers present ESD projects In line with the theme of the 13th International Conference of SEAMEO INNOTECH, representatives from different SEAMEO centers presented their projects related to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) during a panel discussion held on the second day of the conference. Dr. Tinisiri Siribodhi, deputy director of the SEAMEO Secretariat, served as the panel discussion moderator. Five (5) Centers participated in the discussion: SEAMEO BIOTROP represented by its Center Director Dr. Bambang Purwantara; SEAMEO SEARCA represented by Dr. Editha Cedicol, program head of the Center s Graduate Scholarship Department; SEAMEO SPAFA, represented by the Center s programme development officer, Mr. Kevin Kettle; SEAMEO RECSAM, represented by research specialist, Mr. Julito Aligaen; and Mr. Prayitno represented SEAMEO SEAMOLEC. BIOTROP: ESD and the Private Sector The SEAMEO Regional Center for Tropical Biology promotes ESD through collaborations with the private sector in Indonesia, and through integrating ESD in the sector s CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). The Center makes sure that different companies and industrial parks understand their significant roles in educating the communities where they operate about natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, and agricultural livelihood. One of the biggest milestones of the Center s effort to promote ESD is the collaboration with the Karawang International Industrial City (KIIC). The KIIC gives donation every year, and has allotted 3 hectares of its land for growing of agricultural products. Involving the private sector to promote ESD became successful because of these three (3) success factors listed based on the Center s experiences in the projects: (1) full understand and commitment of company management on the concepts of sustainable development; (2) support from the multu-stakeholders; and (3) having a clear program and targets. SEARCA: Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Project Though the SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture has been involving ESD in a number of their projects, Dr. Cedicol only highlighted one project during the discussion the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Project (CChAMP). The CChAMP focuses on food security improvement and poverty reduction, and aims to set-up a climate change resilient agricultural production and sustainable resource management. Some of the project s components include offering grants and other education opportunities to Southeast Asian nationals for them to pursue graduate studies in agriculture and natural sciences, and conduct researches in line with ESD. The Center also gives support to students when participating in different related conferences in Southeast Asia. They also organized various forums wherein different topics about climate change are discussed. innotechnewsletter October-December2012

5 Knowledge management also has a big role in SEARCA s projects. The Center s Knowledge Management Department takes charge of the processing of data, information, and knowledge acquired from the research papers and results into more usable forms. Once these were processed, they use it as input to different curricula, to the decision-making of policy makers, and as products for dissemination (monographs, policy notes, etc.) Dr. Cedicol also mentioned that the Center has a knowledge center for climate change which is basically a repository or a portal of best practices in and resources for climate change mitigation. SEAMEO SPAFA: ESD in Culture and the Arts The ESD-related projects of the SEAMEO Regional Center for Archaeology and Fine Arts were covered under an umbrella program called Managing the Integration of Culture into Development Programs. The Center organizes workshops, conferences and forums, mostly for the youth, and through these the youth were able to share their views and experiences on climate change. During workshops and community activities, messages related to climate change were delivered and shared through songs, dances, and artworks. Given that the young people in Southeast Asia are active and creative, for SPAFA, culture is the real deal, thus, it is best to use it in promoting ESD. Through different cultural activities, ESD was promoted among the youth. It is an interesting form of disseminating information because it is delivered in an unconventional way. The messages are easily remembered because it was shared while having a good time. It also served as a creative experience for the young people. Through these activities, the Center was able to identify and fill the gaps in ESD. SEAMEO SEAMOLEC: Campus-based ESD The SEAMEO Regional Open Learning Center partnered and created a network with forty two (42) universities and promotes ESD in a small but significant way campus clean-up projects. This project aims to increase the youth awareness on climate change. Each partner university has students, and overall around 4,000 students were gathered to be involved in the project. The Center also created a system to train teachers about ESD through distance learning. This implies that technology also has an important role in promoting ESD. SEAMEO RECSAM: Rainwater Harvesting The SEAMEO Regional Center for Education in Science and Mathematics has a pilot ESD project which is rainwater harvesting. According to Mr. Aligaen, water is an important resource and due to climate change, its availability is put in to risk. SEAMEO RECSAM sees that soon enough, the only affordable and most accessible water will be rainwater. So in this project, the Center focuses on integrating the concept of rainwater harvesting in the science and mathematics curricula. The Center aims to build the capacity of teachers to contextualize climate change in science and math education, as they see education as a great tool to reduce carbon footprints, since the rainwater harvesting technology of SEAMEO RECSAM is non-energy-based. SEAMEO Secretariat: ESD Award Dr. Tinsiri Siribodhi also shared in the discussion the initiative of the SEAMEO Secretariat in line with ESD the ESD award. This is a three-year project and it calls for different schools in Southeast Asia to present their own ESD-related activities. Every year has a different theme. For 2012, it was disaster risk management, while, values education is eyed to be the theme for Last year s winner is a school from Myanmar. The second and third place was bagged by the Philippines and Indonesia, respectively. At the end of the discussion, Dr. Tinsiri applauded the SEAMEO Centers for having unique projects and activities that address climate change and contribute greatly to the promotion of ESD. From L-R: SEAMEO Deputy Director Dr. Tinsiri Siribodhi, SEAMEO BIOTROP Director Dr. Bambang Purwantara; Dr. Editha Cedicol from SEARCA, Mr. Kevin Kettle from SPAFA; Mr. Prayitno of SEAMEO SEAMOLEC; and Mr. Julito Aligaen of RECSAM. October-December2012 innotechnewsletter 5

6 SNAPSHOTS th International Conference (1) HE President Benigno Aquino III speaks to DepEd Secretary Br. Armin Luistro, FSC, during the opening ceremonies; (2) Center Director Ramon C. Bacani, with Mr. Danilo Padilla and Dr. Stefanos Fotiou, officially opens the IC exhibit; (3) SEAMEO INNOTECH organizers happily poses for the camera after the successful conference; (4) RCB hands in gifts to the young guest speakers, Mr. Cris Valdez and Mr. Ponce Ernest Samaniego; (5) Br. Armin speaks with two of the speakers during the conference tea break; (6) cultural dancers performs during the welcome dinner. G2G Kapamilya Challenge Launch (7) ERIO shows their competitive side and placed first in the cheering competition; (8) QSMO and FMO goes all wacky during their performance; (9) LMO s props shows their creative side; (10) KMNO & DO take the last minute practice seriously; (11) AMO shows no sweat after their Gangnam performance innotechnewsletter October-December2012

7 Dr. Stefanos Fotiou of UNEP presents outcomes of RIO+20 summit With the aim to share the learnings from the RIO+20 conference held last June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, INNOTECH invited UNEP s Dr. Stefanos Fotiou to be one of the plenary speakers in the 13th International Conference held last December 2012 in Mandaluyong City, Philippines. Dr. Fotiou presented the four major outcomes of the RIO+20 conference, a conference where world leaders gathered to see and assess the process and initiatives related to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for the last 20 years. One of the main topics that were talked about is the Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development. Global overarching is important to promote sustainable development and one of the ways to do this is through integrating and mainstreaming sustainable development in the frameworks of different activities, mandates and programs of the UN. Also, a high-level forum on sustainable development was established. Another important topic that was tackled in the RIO+20 is the green economy. Discussants see green economy as a tool for sustainable development and poverty eradication under principles such as sustainable management of natural resources, strengthened international cooperation, and integration of green economy to business and industries. The third major outcome of the summit is the decision to develop a set of action-oriented Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs must be coherent with the UN Development Agenda, and must focus on the priority areas such as climate change, forests, biodiversity, desertification, mountains, chemicals and waste, mining, education, gender equality and empowerment, human rights, economic growth, infrastructure, and good governance. Sustainable Consumption and Production is also one of the areas discussed. According to Fotiou, education for sustainable consumption (ESC) is among the most important issues and challenges that the world is facing. The idea is to promote sustainability as mainstream identity of consumers choices, since consumption is a symbolic act that generates identity. The integration of ESC in the school system was also proposed. Dr. Fotiou also shared the highlights of the RIO+20 outcome document -- it was agreed upon in the summit that (1) the young generations are custodians of the future; (2) sustainable development will be pursued by education systems; (3) a greater international cooperation is important in pursuing sustainable development; as well as, (4) research and innovation. October-December2012 innotechnewsletter 7

8 Indonesian university officials visit the PH for HELM Project Education officials from Indonesia and the University of Kentucky visited the Philippines from 07 to 13 October as part of the second phase of the five-year USAID Higher Education Leadership and Management (HELM) project. The visit and the international workshop in the Philippines is a key aspect of the three-phase action research to achieve the HELM goal to advance the competence of targeted higher education institutions through improving four core management areas: (1) general administration and leadership, (2) financial management, (3) quality assurance; and (4) collaboration with external stakeholders. The workshop particularly aimed to train Indonesian educational administrators in developing and implementing programs for the higher education sector. During the visit, Indonesian university officials presented their target programs. In turn, they were briefed about the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the higher education system in the Philippines. The Philippine component of the HELM project included benchmarking visits to four Philippine higher education institutions University of the Philippines, both Diliman and Los Baños campuses, De La Salle University, and Mapua Institute of Technology. The officials of the said universities presented their respective school s education and research programs and services. The visits provided an opportunity for the Indonesian university officials to benchmark practices of higher education institutions in the Philippines, which in turn would help them develop and implement their own quality programs. INNOTECH offers blended learning course on Excellence in Leading Curricular and Instructional Reforms for Continuing School Improvement In line with the Center s goal of enabling educators to respond to different educational needs in Southeast Asia, INNOTECH opened another course that aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of school leaders in leading curricular and instructional reforms for continuing school improvement. The 5-module course particularly aims to develop practical action points on enhancing curriculum/ teaching and learning/assessment practices for improving learning outcomes. One component of the course is an online pre-course discussion of opportunities and challenges experienced in the implementation curricular reforms and instructional processes at school level. The discussions were held last November After the online discussion, a faceto-face learning session was held in SEAMEO INNOTECH. Participants came up with action plans that will be useful for their school after the faceto-face session. Once their action plans were implemented, the participants are expected to share their learnings and the results of the implemented plan through an online post-course discussion. The three main expected outputs at the end of the course are: (1) Enhanced competencies on the competency areas covered in the program; (2) some modular reflection papers that contains specific action steps that the participants may introduce in their respective schools; and (3) a school-wide Curricular and Instructional Improvement Plan that translates the learning and insights from the course based on their school context and requirements. The course will run from November 2012 to February innotechnewsletter October-December2012

9 Director Bacani attends high officials meeting SEAMEO INNOTECH Center Director Dr. Ramon C. Bacani participated in the 35th SEAMEO High Officials Meeting from 27 to 29 November 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand. The annual event is organized by the SEAMEO Secretariat, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education of Thailand, as a venue for high-level education officials of member countries, and associate and affiliate members to discuss important education issues that will be taken up in the 2013 SEAMEO Council Conference. INNOTECH holds forum on Secondary Education Reform High on the agenda of this year s meeting were issues related to Education for All, disaster risk management education, and hygiene and water sanitation programs in schools. The region s education leaders were also expected to review the SEAMEO Strategic Plans for and recommend specific actions to take for its implementation. Dr. Bacani, along with Mr. Benito E. Benoza, head of SEAMEO IN- NOTECH s Knowledge Management and Networking Office, was part of more than 100 participants from SEAMEO member countries, associate and affiliate members, and regional centers, as well as development partners. The event also welcomed new partners and observers from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Korea, the ASEAN- China Center, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Save the Children Australia. Other highlights of the meeting included the launching of the SEAMEO Australia Education Links Award, which seeks to reward innovative education projects or proposals, and the presentation of the winners of the SEAMEO Japan Education for Sustainable Development Award, which seeks to promote and share best practices in ESD in schools across Southeast Asia. Eighteen ministry delegates and school principals from different SEAMEO member countries visited SEAMEO INNOTECH for the Fourth Regional Education Forum held last October 23 to 25, With the theme Secondary Education Curriculum Reform in Southeast Asia: Issues, Trends and Future Directions, the forum served as a platform for constructive dialogue among the delegates to discuss, consult and assess the state of secondary education in the region. Forum discussions covered topics such as secondary education policies and strategies of SEAMEO member countries, as well as reforms and in- novations that address the needs of the 21st century economy. The forum aimed to improve collaborations and joint efforts among the ministries of education of member countries. Activities during the forum included panel discussions, open dialogues, plenary sharing, open discussions and workshops. The delegates also reviewed and updated the Competency Framework for Southeast Asian School Heads. Through these activities, the delegates were able to share and exchange their views and experiences in meeting the challenges of reforming secondary education in the region. October-December2012 innotechnewsletter 9

10 Legarda encourages proactive response to climate change The time to act is now. These are the last few words that Philippine Senator Loren Legarda left to the crowd of education professionals who attended the 13th International Conference of SEAMEO INNOTECH last December 11-13, 2012 in Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City. In her keynote speech, Legarda spoke about the effects of climate change to the environment, and the vulnerability of the Philippines to climate change. According to her, there are three (3) drivers of vulnerability that affects the country: (1) ecosystems decline; (2) vulnerable rural livelihoods; and (3) ineffective governance. Ecosystems decline because of the ways people utilize the natural resources. Legarda pointed out that hazards do not necessarily have to be turned to disasters if people avoided building structures in vulnerable areas. This also includes improper waste disposal that greatly affects bodies of water. Legarda also emphasized the effects of the changing climate to the poor. Livelihoods such as farming, weaving, and fishing are negatively affected, thus, resulting to climate injustice. So, disseminating information about climate change is vital for every sector of the society. Also, Legarda specified ineffective governance as one of the cause different environmental problems in the Philippines. She said that the nonimplementation of laws causes pollution. She also said that disasters occur because there is a big gap between a well-funded law and the implementation of the said law. In line with this, Legarda mentioned that she has been persistently working for some major environmental laws to be fully implemented. Among these laws are the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Management Act, and the Renewable Energy Act. Aside from these acts, there are already existing environmental laws, and two of these were authored by Legarda the Philippine Climate Change Act of 2009, and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of Through these laws, proactive climate change and disaster preparedness measures were legislated. Another passed law is the People s Survival Fund Law. This fund is allocated for disaster risk reduction and management; biodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestry; renewable and sustainable energy systems; and ecological waste management. The Senate of the Philippines has been working on different initiatives to address the problems caused by climate change. A Committee on Climate Change which is headed by Legarda was organized to ensure the sustainability of these initiatives, as well as to track the implementation of related laws. As a dedicated environmentalist, Legarda believed that aside from these laws, collective efforts from different sectors of society is important to achieve sustainable development. At the end of her speech, she encouraged everyone to redefine development and make bold and creative solutions to the problems that the environment is facing for the benefit of the present and future generations. 10 innotechnewsletter October-December2012

11 INNOTECH conducts regional study of Water, Sanitation and Hygience in Primary Schools in SEA SEAMEO INNOTECH conducted indepth visits to primary schools in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, and the Philippines to determine national and sub-national systems that influence the delivery of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs. The visits were part of the qualitative study commissioned to the Center by the UNICEF East Asia Pacific Regional Office. The study assessed the status of WASH facilities in SEAMEO member countries in order to determine critical areas for improvement and possible solutions to sustain WASH programs. Spearheaded by the Solutions Evaluation and Adaptation Unit of SEAMEO IN- NOTECH, the in-depth visits specifically looked into the conditions of the schools where WASH programs were either effectively practiced or supported, or the implementation remains a challenge. One-on-one interviews and focus group discussions were likewise conducted with target key informants that represent a multi-sectoral mix of stakeholders involved in and committed to doing effective management of WASH activities in schools. The study identified WASH programs and projects in schools, as well as issues, challenges and opportunities existing in the four countries. The issues and challenges were further categorized to specifically identify constraints in terms of financial resources, human capacity, data monitoring, policy framework, and awareness. Among the many issues and challenges of implementing WASH programs, a common finding among the countries involved in the study is the lack of funding. Both Cambodia and Indonesia lack sufficient funding and financial mechanisms to support construction, operation and maintenance of WASH facilities. The Philippines experience a similar constraint in financial resources and Lao PDR particularly lacks a policy on subsidies for the sanitation sector. The findings of the study was presented at the SEAMEO High Officials Meeting, that took place last November 2012, with the intention to facilitate decision making in setting up enabling policies to enhance the quality of health and sanitation in primary schools. INNOTECH holds K to 12 capacity building program DepEd Zambales Around thirty (30) Division and District Supervisors from DepEd Zambales participated in the capacity building program on K to 12 held last December at the SEAMEO INNOTECH building. The program aims to improve the knowledge and skills of the supervisors as effective instructional coaches for the school heads in support for the implementation of the K to 12 program. The program is made up of seven sessions which will tackle different areas -- (1) the strategic education environment; (2) current and emerging education trends and development; (3) creating a culture of continuous learning; (4) challenges and opportunities in instructional supervision; (5) innovations in the K to 12 curriculum; and (6) classroom-based action research. The least session is dedicated for the development of shared agenda on instructional coaching for DepEd Zambales. Part of the program is the attendance of the participants to the first day of the 13th International Conference to be more knowledgeable about the current and emerging trends in education. At the end of the program, the participants were expected to come up with innovative strategies in developing the Division-wide Instructional Coaching Plan. October-December2012 innotechnewsletter 11

12 INNOTECH holds forum on global education reforms World Bank s Director of Education in the Human Development Network, Dr. Elizabeth King, was at the Center to share her expert views on global education reforms. Dr. King particularly talked about the study she did on global policies and strategic education issues in developing countries. One of the things Dr. King emphasized in her talk was the need to focus on human capital formation through knowledge accumulation. According to her, there has to be intrinsic motivation to do well among children through education. The strategy she would like to promote is first, invest early, then invest smartly, and lastly, invest for all. By investing early, Dr. King explained the importance of educating the very young children, even at birth. She also said there must be partnership among various sectors and stakeholders. By investing smartly, Dr. King meant to say that investments should go beyond building classrooms, providing books and investing in teacher training. She encouraged thinking about how intrinsic motivation could lead to improved learning outcomes. She also said there must be good policies that can translate teacher training into good teaching inside the classroom. By investing for all, Dr. King said we need to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves the poorest of the poor. Their right to education must be ensured. She cautioned though about using the term quality education, which she believes is a term that has been abused and overused. Present during the forum were senior officials of the Philippine Department of Education, the Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education, the Fund for Assistance to Private Education, and Philippine Normal Univeristy. Also joining the discussion were officers and staff of the SEAMEO INNOTECH, headed by Center Director Dr. Ramon C. Bacani. innotech n e w s l e t t e rn Published twice a year by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (INNOTECH). Tel: ; Fax: (632) For your feedback, us at: info@seameo-innotech.org Editorial Office at the Information Management Unit, SEAMEO INNOTECH, UPPO Box 207, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines. Editor: Jesse M. Tuason Editorial Assistants: Aury Anne A. Santos, Gillian Marie M. Cruz Photos: Jesse M. Tuason; Guillermo Cruz; Mark John Antido Layout: Gillian Marie M. Cruz Advisers: Ramon C. Bacani, Director; Benito E. Benoza, Manager, Knowledge Management and Networking Office; Carolyn S. Rodriguez, Manager, Quality and Systems Management Office Bylined articles reflect the opinions of the author and not necessarily of SEAMEO INNOTECH. SEAMEO Regional INNOTECH Center UPPO Box 207, U.P. Diliman, Quezon City, 1101, Philippines Re-entered as second class mail matter, February 7, 1983 at U.P. Post Office, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines 12 innotechnewsletter October-December2012