{"id":43502,"date":"2023-07-24T00:00:14","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T00:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/a-legacy-of-excellence-celebrating-12-years-of-synergy-media-specialists-copy\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T05:58:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T05:58:30","slug":"teach-for-the-philippines-building-the-nation-through-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/teach-for-the-philippines-building-the-nation-through-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Teach for the Philippines: Building the Nation through Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cWe go where we are needed.\u201d TFP engages new and tenured public-school teachers in schools across the country through its leadership development programs to augment the Philippine Department of Education\u2019s efforts in ensuring access to quality education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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All photos: Teach for the Philippines<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In a country where 27 million children<\/a> \u2014 a quarter of the Philippines\u2019 population \u2014 are enrolled in an already heavily-burdened public school system, providing equitable access to quality education for all may seem daunting for a single entity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“When we started in 2012, we placed a single program in a single city. We all had no idea if our Fellowship program would be a success; it had never been allowed before, and thus, never been done before.\u201d<\/p>\nClarissa Isabelle Delgado<\/strong>, Co-Founder, and outgoing Chief Executive Officer<\/mark><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n

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Award-winning non-profit organization Teach for the Philippines (TFP) offers a possible solution to address this challenge: leading collective action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TFP works closely with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the private sector to ensure that all Filipino children benefit from an inclusive, relevant, and excellent education. Propelled by the success of its predecessor, Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation, TFP has grown immeasurably in its own way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“When we started in 2012, we placed a single program in a single city. We all had no idea if our Fellowship program would be a success; it had never been allowed before, and thus, never been done before,\u201d states Clarissa Isabelle Delgado, Co-Founder, and outgoing Chief Executive Officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, we have three leadership development programs for new and tenured public-school teachers as well as would-be government leaders that span across all three island groups, and generations upon generations of Program Alumni inside and outside government. Hundreds of us are working step by step, every day, to model and align on the change we wish to see in the Philippines.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teach for the Philippines teachers use varying learning methods and modalities to help non-readers in public school communities through their Functional Literacy Program.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Clarissa Isabelle Delgado<\/strong>, Co-Founder, and outgoing Chief Executive Officer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

During the pandemic, the Philippines experienced one of the most prolonged school shutdowns<\/a> in the world, resulting in significant disruption in public school education. On average, students in developing countries across Asia lost only over half a year of learning<\/a>. Schools in the Philippines were closed for almost two years, with face-to-face classes only officially resuming in November 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, the learning crisis in the Philippines predates the pandemic. The 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)<\/a> reported that only one in five Filipino students achieved a minimum proficiency level (Level 2) in Overall Reading and Mathematical Literacy, placing the Philippines last among its Asian counterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a9 teachforthephilippines.com<\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

TFP has always been a key actor in addressing the compounded challenges of the public-school education system through its bottom-up and top-down approach to change. The organization has interventions that contribute towards immediate and long-term learning outcomes, taking place both at the school and community level to ensure that public school students get relevant education in the form of functional literacy and life skills development, as well as at the teacher training and policy development level to ensure that educators and education stakeholders receive adequate training and support to facilitate learning in classrooms nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A decade into essential education reform work, TFP finds itself entering a new era with renewed energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In September 2023, Mavie Almeda Ungco, a long-time advocate for data-driven decision-making at TFP and its Chief Operations Officer throughout the pandemic, will become its new CEO. Ungco vows to rally the organization and its stakeholders to work together so that the collective can \u2018move the needle\u2019 for the benefit of all Filipino children:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have to make sure that what we are doing is the most effective, relevant and needed in any given context – that what we\u2019re doing is what will be most impactful for our public-school students and our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Ungco\u2019s leadership, TFP aims to continue strengthening its programs to ensure that public school students can develop their functional literacy and socioemotional skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLiteracy is the building block of any country. If we\u2019re not reading and writing as a country, then we are falling behind,\u201d Ungco shares.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Mavie Almeda Ungco<\/strong>, incoming Chief Executive Officer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSimilarly, every child, every person, should have a sense of agency and a strong belief that their choices can make a difference. These are what Teach for the Philippines\u2019 programs for students, teachers, and young Filipino leaders are all about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policies in the Philippines are written at the national level and implemented depending on local context. Localized implementation means that what may work in one city or region may not in another. An archipelago made up of over 7,100 islands then also has over 7,100 different contexts. With placements all across the country, TFP rises to meet this challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cEvery child, every person, should have a sense of agency and a strong belief that their choices can make a difference. These are what Teach for the Philippines\u2019 programs for students, teachers, and young Filipino leaders are all about.\u201d<\/p>\nMavie Almeda Ungco<\/strong>, incoming Chief Executive<\/mark> Officer<\/mark><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Ungco reiterates TFP\u2019s role in making the jobs of lawmakers and education administrators easier:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We have always gathered data from our work on the ground to see if our interventions are working or if there is a way to further improve our program design and delivery. Fortunately, because we are a lean organization, we can be more agile in contextualizing our approach to local implementation challenges. Whatever we learn, we share with policymaking bodies and DepEd offices as a way of shortening feedback loops across various levels. This way, TFP helps create relevant and inclusive education policies and programs at scale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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