As Pangasinan State University pursues internationalization, the expansion of Global Citizenship Education (GCED) initiatives is inevitable.
With this, officials of the Office of the Vice President for Local and International Affairs (OVPLIA) embarked on a journey to Bicol University to grasp first-hand the projects and strategies employed in GCED.
Bicol University’s Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) headed by Center Director Dr. Rebecca Rosario O. Bercasio, warmly welcomed the PSU delegates as she talked about the award-winning Global Citizenship Education Initiatives in Bicol, Philippines, focusing on the idea of ‘Transforming Teachers to Transforming Communities’.
“𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝐶𝐸𝐷 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠. 𝑊𝑒 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑛𝑟𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚. 𝐴𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑓𝑢𝑙. 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒,” Dr. Bercasio said.
Consequently, Dr. Teresa M. Abainza, the Principal of BUCEILS, discussed the Collaborative Curriculum Enhancement on SDG-informed Basic Education while Dr. Dimson M. Rivero, Director of International Relations Office (IRO), shared a glimpse of the university profile and their office’s best practices.
Dr. Jocelyn Paje of CTE and Mr. Ronel Villanueva also shared helpful tips on GCED as a UNESCO program while Dr. Cora Rico discussed Extension program strategies.
PSU’s OVPLIA, led by Vice President Dr. Razeale Resultay, was represented in the leaening activity by the Directors of the Division: Dr. Cristeta Dulos (GCED), Assoc. Prof. Celeste Mercado (Local and International Relations), Dr. Lorena Echalar (Special Projects), Asst. Prof Venus May Sarmiento (Public Relations and Information) and Mr. John Joseph Zarate (CPD).
GCED was created as UNESCO’s response to the challenges in human rights violation, inequality and poverty. It is a strategic area of UNESCO’s Education Sector program and builds on the work of Peace and Human Rights Education.
As its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG No. 4), GCED aims to instill in learners the values, attitudes and behaviors that support responsible global citizenship: creativity, innovation, and commitment to peace, human rights and sustainable development
Pangasinan State University is humbled to be chosen as a GCED Cooperation Center Regional Hub for Region I immortalized in a memorandum of agreement signing on October 20, 2022.
University President Dr. Elbert M. Galas said PSU was established not only to explore innovations and improve academic work but more evidently , to serve as a BRIDGE in addressing the global concerns.
PSU thanks Bicol University for the fruitful learning experience and sharing of knowledge and best practices capped by a tour to the College of Education building and the extensive main campus in Legazpi City.
The role of education and transformative pedagogy in promoting learning and peace, sharing good practices and resources that demonstrate the link between GCED, BU and PSU, is very much alive.
#GCED
