Commitment to Peace Education Program Continues
Concepcion Ferrer-Balawag, PhD, CESO V

The sincere commitment to Peace Education program continues in the Schools Division of Cotabato City with the leadership of the Schools Division Superintendent, Concepcion Ferrer-Balawag, PhD, CESO V in partnership with the HWPL Peace Academy.

Along with the division’s commitment is the inspiration and motivation provided by the HWPL peace messengers considering their continued support in this noble undertaking. Our countless initiatives were made possible to keep abreast with the norms set forth by this new normal situation brought by this COVID-19 pandemic crisis in our locality. The presence of the HWPL Peace Messengers in our division gave strength to the education leaders in facing the challenges while we do strategic actions in the field for the benefit our of school learners.

As we live in this VUCA World, we experience different situations; situations that are full of vulnerabilities, uncertainties, complexities, and ambiguities. This is the New Normal situation we face, and we try to survive in a positive way. With the challenges we face, we remain calm, peaceful and FOCUS as we aim to survive positively and peacefully.

The COVID 19 pandemic crisis has changed our way of life completely as if we are caught unaware. This crisis has not given us enough time to prepare ourselves in terms of resources and its psychological impact. National economy has been affected and receded too. Emotional stress has caused everyone of us to worry about the situation. But amidst the challenging situation, hope is still there to help us. We learn to value the importance of life and everything around us with positive mind. It is a realization that we have never thought of prior to the coming of this pandemic crisis.

Let us not treat the situation as a threat but as a challenge and an opportunity to all of us to think about our morals, our way of life to become better persons not just with ourselves but with the nature as well. Think of the situation in a positive way which calls for a unity among all human beings and to respect one another.

Having established the strong partnership between SDO Cotabato City and HWPL Peace Academy, we appeal to the peace messengers the need to overcome together the challenge brought by natural and manmade calamities and continue the work of peace in its own distinct way.

We are ambassadors of peace despite our limitations and we always bank on each other’s goodness. Let us embrace the value of life and the value of peace.

Together with the representative from DepEd XII, Regional Education Program Supervisor, Mr. Agney C. Taruc, Division Chiefs, Education Program Supervisors, Public Schools District Supervisors, and selected Principals as consultants, phases 1 and 2 were held successfully with the total number of 110 contextualized lesson plan exemplars last January 17-19, 2020 for phase 1 and January 31-February 1, 2020 for phase 2 at the Division Conference Hall, Cotabato City.

The 12 HWPL peace education lessons were contextualized to be integrated in the K to 12 (Kindergarten ~ Grade12) curriculum. These will be very useful to the learners of Cotabato City because they are universal in nature.

A group of SDO personnel was created to quality assure the said contextualized lesson plans focusing on the alignment of learning area competencies, technicalities and standards set by the Learning Resource Management System in terms of social content, copyright and language. 

Looking forward on the utilization of these contextualized lesson exemplars in Peace Education, there will be series of evaluation, revisions, editing/proofreading including pilot testing to ensure the quality of the said learning resources. The division targets to make use of these learning resources on the third quarter of this school year 2020-2021 and shall be institutionalized.

Again, the ultimate reason of all these endeavors is to provide the learners with necessary knowledge and skills as well as to instill in them the values they need to become holistic individuals.