10 Mt Prov school heads scholars of DepEd

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Ten school heads from the province were taken as scholars under the Department of Education’s eXCELS scholarship program which is being implemented in partnership with SEAMEO INNOTECH.

The DepEd eXCELS program targets elementary and secondary heads and headmaster teachers to make them more adept in using computers.

This is a short course packaged by SEAMEO INNOTECH in developing instructional and curricular development leadership.

It addresses the need to develop and strengthen the school head’s role as instructional leaders in promoting or improving the quality of teaching or learning in his school.

This program is a flexible learning course on instructional and curricular leadership and management which will be conducted through a web-based platform called iFLEX or INNOTECH flexible Learning Management System.

The DepEd division office identified the ten school heads, six from the elementary and four from the secondary, to attend the scholarship program. From the elementary school are Marilou S. Wadingan of Sagada Central School, Grace Boleyley of Bauko Central School, Sagnayo Apaling of Agawa Elementary School (Besao), Joel Francis Licayo of Data Elementary School (Sabangan), Eloisa B. Tao-ey of Bangaan Elementary School (Sagada) and Rosa Kiser of Bontoc Central School.

School heads from the secondary school are namely Elma M. Lawagey of Sagada National High School, Atkinson Tudlong of AlBaGo National High School (Bontoc), Belinda Tinacba of Talubin National High School (Bontoc), and Mathew Patrick B. Pooten of Ankileng National High School (Sagada).

They were nominated based on qualifications: that they must be computer literate, have a valid email address and be able to attend the learners orientation and graduation to be held in the campus of the partner teacher education institution in the region.

Under this program, course participants need not physically attend training in a specific venue from the workplace. Instead, SEAMEO INNOTECH provides the flexible learner a set of instructional modules, reading manuals and other materials for study within the one-month period.

It requires a mandatory three-hour online chat session every week for four weeks during which the course participants are expected to interact, debate, and discuss with fellow participants and an assigned flexible learning tutor who is an expert in the field of instructional and curricular leadership and management.

The course participants are also required to submit course requirements like module assignments, reflection papers and an action plan.

DepEd scholars who successfully comply with course requirements will be awarded an international certificate by SEAMEO INNOTECH. They will also receive advance credits for three academic units leading to a masters or doctoral degree program to be granted by the partner teacher institution.

This scholarship program is benefiting 1,610 DepEd scholars in the entire country which is allocated to 16 regions at 100 scholars per region and 10 for the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

The program has clustered the 16 regions to four batches with different schedules of implementation.

Regions VIII, X and NCR comprising the first batch was scheduled last November 22 – December 20; the second batch composed of Regions III, IV-A, IV-B and VII was scheduled last January 7 to February 4.

Regions I, II, V, IX and CAR comprising the third batch is scheduled on February 27 – March 26; and the fourth batch composed of Regions XI, XII, CARAGA and ARMM is scheduled on June 9 to July 7.

Implementation of this program in the CAR is tentatively scheduled on March 17 – April 17. Orientation of course participants is also tentatively scheduled on March 6 at the University of the Cordilleras which is the partner teacher institution. -- Juliet B. Saley