Concerned about the future of digital education, three giant entities teamed up in the present for some revolutionary changes in the new normal educational system. BDO Foundation, Knowledge Channel Foundation and Huawei Philippines have forged a partnership for the implementation of programs aimed at empowering educators and learners in the new normal.

Working Together for the Future of Digital Education

The partnership was formalized in a virtual event led by Huawei Philippines director of human resources Peter Zhang, Knowledge Channel president and executive director Rina Lopez, Knowledge Channel director of operations Edric Calma, BDO Foundation president Mario Deriquito, and BDO Foundation trustees Corazon Mallillin and Evelyn Salagubang.

Supportive of Department of Education (DepEd) efforts to further improve the quality of education amid the pandemic, the corporate citizenship initiative was welcomed at the event by DepEd. Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio, DepEd undersecretary Tonisito Umali and the schools division superintendents of the beneficiary schools were all very enthusiastic about this move.

BDO Foundation, Knowledge Channel, and Huawei Philippines agreed to collaborate on two key projects. These are the production of educational videos for students and the professional development of teachers and school heads.

For Students

In consultation with DepEd, the partners will produce five curriculum-based videos on early numeracy, which will be used in the teaching of Mathematics to Grade One pupils across the country. These learning resources will be made available for viewing on Knowledge Channel’s on-air, online, and offline platforms.

“This will help learners gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental concepts of Mathematics, which is very important in the students’ holistic development,” Lopez explained. “I’m glad this partnership will promote the learning of Math. Success is not determined by innate talent alone, but by the effort, persistence and creative problem solving that come with learning Math.”

For Principals and Teachers

BDO Foundation and Huawei Philippines will also support a Knowledge Channel program that provides public school principals and teachers the training on how to leverage pre-recorded multimedia learning resources. These will help them to teach lessons online and offline.

Called Knowledge Channel Teaching in the New Normal, the program will help address the limited capacity of schools to conduct face-to-face classes due to the pandemic. The partnership project will benefit 1,500 principals and teachers in 100 schools nationwide.

Lauding the partnership of the private sector and DepEd in promoting digital education, Zhang said, “We at Huawei are committed to bridging the digital divide and serve as a catalyst for a fully connected, intelligent world. We fully support the teaching of early numeracy in Grade One Mathematics as well as the continuous upgrade of skills of educators in the new normal.”

According to Deriquito, “Even in a small way, we hope to contribute to the implementation of DepEd’s K to 12 Curriculum as well as the achievement of its Sulong Edukalidad advocacy and the recently launched Basic Education Development Plan 2030. Ultimately, we hope our initiatives will benefit the learners, who will be the future leaders and builders of our country.”

About the Players

The aforementioned initiatives are the latest of BDO Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank, in partnership with Knowledge Channel Foundation and Huawei Philippines. Knowledge Channel Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to improve the quality of education in the Philippines through media and technology. Huawei is the global leader in information and communications technology infrastructure and smart devices.