Belgian Gov't-funded Project RISE officially launched

by J-Roel Semilla | Oct 09 2024

Through a ceremonial MOA (memorandum of agreement) signing on October 1, 2024, Project RISE (Reading Initiative with Stakeholders Engagement: Breaking the Walls of Learning Poverty) was officially launched in collaboration with key stakeholders namely, the Division of Iligan City, Metrobank Foundation Network of Outstanding Teachers and Educators (MBFI-NOTED), and Rotary Club of Cagayan de Oro Centerpoint to show their commitment and strong support to the project. Before this activity, the College of Education (缅北禁地-IIT) formally inked a partnership with Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), and VLIR-OUS (Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad (Flemish Interuniversities Council) – Universitaire Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (University Development Co-operation)) in August 2024. RISE is a multi-partnership initiative that envisions cultivating an innovative reading culture to overturn the declining reading literacy of young children in the region and across the nation.

The momentous event was also attended by some representatives of the local government unit of Iligan City, and principals of the 10 public schools in Iligan City who are the beneficiaries of the project. These 10 schools include Luinab Elementary School, Victor G. Guevarra Memorial School, Villa Verde Elementary School, Abuno Elementary School, Dona Josefa F. Celdran Memorial School, Tambacan Elementary School, Cabili Village Elementary School, Bagong Silang Elementary School, Angelico J. Medina Memorial School, and Del Carmen Integrated School.

City Administrator Dr. Darwin Manubag representing the Office of the City Mayor gladly welcomed this literacy project for the Iliganon children. “The local school board of Iligan City is thankful for this project that is internationally funded by VLIR-OUS and the Flemish government of Belgium,” said Dr. Manubag expressing his appreciation. In the afternoon, some Grade One teachers and principals of the 10 schools were separately invited to participate in the focus group discussion. This was conducted to explore the needs of the learners, teachers, and principals and collaboratively organize a reading program that is responsive to the context of the schools.

Moreover, the RISE team consisting of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Shelanee Theresa Ruales (local promotor and project leader), Prof. Dr. Ruben Abucayon (local co-promotor), and members together with the Flemish promoter Prof. Dr. Ir. Wim Van Petegem visited three primary schools to get a better understanding of the school-based reading initiatives and the current status of their school library. They also met the teachers and learners inside the classrooms.

With the guidance of Prof. Wim, the RISE team sat down for a two-day meeting to talk about the crucial aspects of the project. They discussed how schools could be effectively supported by analyzing the Reading and Literacy Curriculum of the Department of Education, and through the co-creation of reading lessons, instructional materials, and worksheets. Although the project aims to develop a comprehensive reading intervention for grades one to three, the focus was on first-grade learners in the first cycle of the project.

Furthermore, the Belgian professor extended his expertise through a research consultation with the graduate students and faculty members who are currently writing graduate theses and conducting internally funded research projects respectively. After a 5-minute presentation per topic, they talked about how to clearly present the methodology and effectively write the results and discussion in adherence to some basic principles of a journal article.

The visiting professor was also invited to present two public lectures on Lifelong Learning in a Digital World: Can Technology Help? and Innovation in University Cooperation around the Globe: New Ways of Developing and Growing Together. The former was participated by pre-service teachers on October 2, 2024, which highlighted the importance of lifelong learning and the role of technology in promoting professional and personal growth. The latter, which took place on October 4, 2024, emphasized the need for cooperation among universities that contribute together to improving society. Meanwhile, Prof. Wim mentioned in his speech the different activities in which other universities in the Philippines could partner with KU Leuven such as priority partnerships, global exchange partnerships, and institutional networks. This was attended by faculty and research heads of the neighboring university and colleges in Iligan City.

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