WCC-ATC highlights character formation in education
With the rapid evolution of technology leading to highly globalized and “digitized” modern living, the future holds immense promise, as well as inevitable challenges, to the younger generation. To become globally prepared, today’s new breed of Filipino learners need solid educational training to build confidence, readiness, and skills to take on the demands of the world. But how can students effectively prepare for the future?
While developing intellectual competencies through modern facilities and teaching is equally important, WCC Aeronautical and Technological College (WCC-ATC) president/CEO and current Binalonan Mayor Ramon Guico III highly emphasizes character formation as a central guiding force that ultimately predicts student success both in and beyond the classroom.
In conceptualizing WCC-ATC, one of Guico’s foremost aspirations is to provide academic programs anchored on a values-focused curriculum design. Simply defined, character formation in education is a wholistic approach that aims to incorporate values, ethics, moral virtues, professionalism as well as leadership in the overall learning experience.
While the basic principles of character formation is not new, Guico is proud to say that WCC-ATC is one of the few leading schools in the country that embraces this model as a way of training responsible citizens and future industry leaders.
Currently, WCC’s senior high school program includes character formation courses in all levels.
To effectively advocate and instill character formation among students, Guico stresses it is highly important that influential figures in the educational institution are modeling the same important virtues and values. Citing his proactive roles as school owner and as public servant, he firmly believes that emulating moral formation must begin from the top ranks.
“Character should start from the school officials. We ensure that our staff are aware of their important roles so these would be reflective of WCC’s brand of excellence and integrity. We want them to be role models and positive influences to our students. It is the moral obligation of a leader to emulate positive traits, to walk the talk or lead by example. It should be the way of life,” he said.
“As the morals of our society are on the decline, I think it is timely that ethical values and traits like nationalism, love for our county, are taught and given extra emphasis in schools. Again, through character formation, leaders like school administrators or government officials become more responsive to the needs of all. If we practice positive character in our everyday living, we will have ethical decisionmaking skills which ultimately benefit the people and the community we are serving,” Guico added.
By taking the lead in promoting wholistic character formation training, WCC students eventually develop their own “moral compass’’ as core values are consistently cascaded along with competent academic instruction.