Refreshing thoughts amid the quagmires all around us

READING all the netizens and hearing all rumors in the mud-slinging, character assassination, supposed truths, gossips, scandals, and downright immoral utterances, I did not know if they are worth listen into in my column. This solved my problem.

I read in a heartening news the sure solution to this problem. It is about education, one of the three advocacies of my column. The other two are citizens and environment.

Educating our youth from the lowest levels of formal learning to the highest levels in the university will ensure us of an enlightened citizenry. Also vital to this is the family role where responsible parents mold their children with moral and decent ways of living in their homes. Researching on this, I found the “bonanza” where I found these facts.

Shoe Mart of Philanthropist Henry Sy mentioned as top in the latest list of the wealthiest men in the world by Forbes is also the top my list.

Usaid, US Agency for International Development, is next in my choice for elaboration here. Worldwide Bill Gates and his wife, Zuckerberg and wife as CEO of Facebook are also in for holding education as their main beneficiaries to make a better world and future prosperity for all.

Business magnate, Henry Sy, has made SM brand famous throughout the country. In the past 59 years, it has been a part of the Filipino communities. It has 60 SM Supermalls in the whole country. There are other retail brands like Savemore, SM Hyper-market, and the SM store. It boosts the retail trade, create jobs, and improve the local economy. SM Foundation also has an impact the community positively by investing also in health, livelihood, and the environment, and a very important contribution, education.

Believing in the slogan - Building Better Schools, Building Better Lives, Epi Fabonan III said, SM Foundation invested in its School Building Program which started in 2002. They prioritize places where schools are needed, repairing rundown buildings. We all know that the perennial problem of lack of school rooms every school opening.

Public schools are served where the need is greatly felt. Private schools, generally, can afford to build ideal school buildings. Several SM Foundation schools had been inaugurated lately. Typical buildings are of two storeys with four classrooms. All facilities as to desks, blackboards, teaching aids, books, etc. are provided also.

Of late, the Foundation has turned over 80 school buildings benefiting 12,000 students nationwide.

SM Foundation School Building Program has also donated to some biggest Universities for higher education. The Henry Sy, Sr. Hall at the UP campus in Bonifacio Global City; the Henry Sy, Sr. Centennial Hall at De La Salle U in Manila, and the last one, Innovation Center at Miriam College. All these SM Foundation contributions have turned into reality of building a better and brighter future and more attainable future in the hands of the learners.

Usaid recognized 10 research scholars and 37 grant recipients in science, technology and innovation to support for inclusive growth. There are 18 school grantees. They represent the best scientific minds in the country.

The vision is to upgrade industries, generate jobs and investments, build skills and capabilities in communities, academic institutions, and private companies. Involved are 32 million dollars grants to scholars and universities.

Lastly but not the least, the president had announced that there will be free education for all citizens from grade school to university levels. He urged all the citizens to pay their taxes honestly and promptly to be able to finance the education budget for this fiscal year. All involved factors in education as teachers’ salaries, a final decision on the much questioned success of the K to 12 Basic Education must be resolved once and for all.

There must be a review of the present curricular offerings at all levels from kinder, grade school, elementary, and intermediate levels; high school, and college levels. The present batches of the K to 12 plan do not know where to go. There are lack of school rooms and qualified t each er s.

Two years of the traditional college courses’ curriculums have nowhere to go. When I reviewed the K to 12 curriculum, with my Masteral degr ee,