SU inks four Memorandum of Agreements with DepEd Schools Division of Dumaguete

Dr. Marina S. Salamanca, CESO VI, Department of Education Schools Division Superintendent of Dumaguete City (seated left) and Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, Silliman University President, (seated right) sign four Memorandum of Agreements (MoA)s. They are flanked by (left to right) Dr. Cherry Lita D. Bulata, Senior Education Program Specialist; Dr. Rosenie B. Sarana, Education Program Supervisor; Dr. Juditha O. Mapue, Chief Curriculum Implementation Division; Mrs. Monina U. Lacson, Administrative Officer V; Dr. Antonieta P. Vendiola, Chief Schools Governance and Operations Division; Dr. Edmark Ian L. Cabio, CESO VI, Asst. Schools Division Superintendent; Dr. Mae Brigitt Bernadel L. Villordon, officer-in-charge (OIC) to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) dean; Asst. Prof. Joy M. Dy, College of Computer Studies (CCS) dean; Dr. Gina F. Bonior, College of Education (COE) dean; Glynnis Jean C. Casino, Office of Strategic Partnerships officer-in-charge (OIC); and Dr. Elve O. Nasvik, Teacher Education Department chair.

Silliman University (SU) formalized its partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Dumaguete City during its historic Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) Signing Ceremony where four (4) MoAs were signed by Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, SU president, and Dr. Marina S. Salamanca, CESO VI, DepEd Schools Division Superintendent of Dumaguete City, at the SU Ruiz Administration Hall on March 13, 2024.

Three (3) MoAs were facilitated by the College of Education (COE), through the leadership of Dr. Gina F. Bonior, dean. These are the AGAKAY-READ (Reading Education Advocates of Dumaguete), which aims to help improve the reading proficiency of identified Pupils/Students At Risk of Dropping Out (PARDOs/SARDOs) ; Student Teaching Internship Program; and Field Studies Program.

The fourth MoA was for Computer Literacy, facilitated by the College of Computer Studies (CCS), through the leadership of Asst. Prof. Joy M. Dy, dean, that aims to enhance IT and computer-related literacy among DepEd teachers in Dumaguete City.

The event served as the inaugural MoA signing ceremony between SU and the DepEd Division of Dumaguete City for the number of years SU has been working and partnering with DepEd.

The College of Education and DepEd

SU COE Dean Bonior recalled her college’s relationship with DepEd, saying this relationship goes a long way.

Dr. Betty Cernol McCann signs one of the MoAs and is assisted by COE Dean Dr. Gina F. Bonior.

“One of the MoAs today is our AGAKAY, but this is a revision of the original AGAKAY, which was first introduced by then Superintendent of Schools Ramir Uytico. And it was a very productive and successful engagement between the College of Education and DepEd that he won an award for DepEd for AGAKAY,” Bonior revealed.

Project AGAKAYhas always been at the heart of the College of Education, Bonior emphasized. The latest AGAKAY was signed in 2018 and was called AGAKAY Plus with a focus on helping out PARDOs and SARDOs, primarily because of poor competency, literacy, and numeracy.

“The AGAKAY that we have today has evolved because we are focusing on reading literacy. We will be signing ceremonially [for now] since the legal office is going through the details for that particular MoA. But the focus is AGAKAY – Reading Education Advocates of Dumaguete (AGAKAY-READ),  a partnership between Silliman University and [DepEd] Dumaguete City Division,” Bonior added.

The other two agreements have always been signed annually between SU COE and DepEd Dumaguete, including the Student Teaching Program and Field Studies Program.

Bonior expressed gratitude that the College of Education will have three important engagements and cooperation with the City Schools Division of Dumaguete.

The College of Computer Studies and DepEd

Meanwhile, the SU CCS has been partnering with DepEd Dumaguete since 2013. It was also only during the event that CCS and DepEd have finally signed a MoA to seal its partnership.

“We’ve been partners with DepEd in providing computer literacy to the DepEd teachers in Dumaguete City, with no proper documentation like this, since 2013. It has been going on every school year, even during the pandemic. CCS has provided three-Saturday training to teachers. They come to CCS, depending on the software application needed in the classroom,” Dy, dean of CCS, said.

Dr. Betty Cernol McCann signs the MoA with the CCS, and is assisted by CCS Dean Asst. Prof. Joy M. Dy.

Since 2013, CCS has been working with the IT specialists from DepEd, providing computer literacy to teachers.

“We started with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint because at that time, those were the tools that the DepEd teachers greatly needed. We also had Photoshop and, recently, video editing, especially during the pandemic. These are just a few of the applications that we do training for teachers,” added Dy.

The next batch of teachers to undergo training with CCS will begin next month.

“So this is very timely. We’ll have three Saturdays again with preselected teachers who’ll go to CCS to attend these training sessions. They’ll be provided with certificates that could also be used for ranking purposes,” she added.

The significance of the MoA signing ceremony

“It is indeed a joy to be with the builders of the nation, and many of us have really gone through the Department of Education system. To us, it is a tribute to the work that’s being done by your own area of responsibility,” McCann said as she welcomed the DepEd Dumaguete officials to the campus.

Dr. Marina S. Salamanca and Dr. Betty Cernol McCann shake hands before the ceremony.

Believing that both institutions can do more in the future, McCann also highlighted the significance of the event, stressing the importance of quality systems in place, particularly in ensuring activities and linkages are well-documented.

“It is also important to arrive at a formal agreement. While in the past, we’ve always been there, providing assistance in the best way we could, it is also good to have everything documented, especially now with the advent of the quality system: what doesn’t appear on paper doesn’t exist. So it’s important as well that we engage in documentation,” the president said.

“Today, we move forward and hope that we can have a stronger relationship, and that we’ll be there for one another,” she added.

Dr. Salamanca, CESO VI, Schools Division Superintendent of Dumaguete City, also remarked on the importance of this event.

“Indeed, this is the happiest day for me [who is] assigned as the Schools Division Superintendent of Dumaguete City, especially that this is a historic event. This is the first time we did this MoA signing in a very formal way,” Dr. Salamanca began.

Dr. Marina S. Salamanca (center) signs the MoA during the historical signing event. She is assisted by Dr. Edmark Ian L. Cabio (right), CESO VI, Asst. Schools Division Superintendent, and Dr. Juditha O. Mapue (left), Chief Curriculum Implementation Division, while Monina U. Lacson, Administrative Officer V, and Dr. Antonieta P. Vendiola, Chief Schools Governance and Operations Division, watch closely behind them.

“In our quest for continuous improvement in quality teaching and learning … as enshrined in One DepEd, One Quality Management System, we find more shoulders to lean on in addressing the need for developing highly competent and globally competitive teaching personnel through ICT-enabling mechanisms. Our tandem and collaboration can produce gifted and exceptionally brilliant prospective teachers through exposure to field studies and teaching and internship programs,” she said.

Dr. Salamanca thanked SU for forging this partnership and linkage with DepEd and hoped to unfold new horizons and transform struggling leaders into critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and academic performers through its partnership in reading intervention, the AGAKAY.

Together with Dr. Marina S. Salamanca, CESO VI, Schools Division Superintendent, were Dr. Edmark Ian L. Cabio, CESO VI, Asst. Schools Division Superintendent; Dr. Juditha O. Mapue, Chief Curriculum Implementation Division; Dr. Antonieta P. Vendiola, Chief Schools Governance and Operations Division; Mrs. Monina U. Lacson, Administrative Officer V; Mr. Kim L. Faburada, Division ITO; Dr. Cherry Lita D. Bulata, Senior Education Program Specialist; and Dr. Rosenie B. Sarana, Education Program Supervisor.

Meanwhile, SU was represented by Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, president; Dr. Mae Brigitt Bernadel L. Villordon, officer-in-charge (OIC) to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) dean; Dr. Gina F. Bonior, College of Education (COE) dean; Asst. Prof. Joy M. Dy, College of Computer Studies (CCS) dean; Dr. Elve O. Nasvik, Teacher Education Department chair; Asst. Prof. Myla June T. Patron, COE associate dean; Moses Joshua B. Atega, International Student Center head; and Glynnis Jean C. Casino, Office of Strategic Partnerships officer-in-charge (OIC). The ceremony was hosted by Dr. Jasper Eric C. Catan.

Representatives from the Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Dumaguete City and Silliman University pose after the signing ceremony.