THE education sector, just like all other sectors, were among the hardest hit by the debilitating pandemic, where learners were forced to study at home either through online or modular learning modalities.
But they were not the only ones that faced the unexpected effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers also faced the odds of teaching in a most unconventional way that they themselves have not tested or prepared for.
But despite the challenges, teachers continued to pursue and practice their teaching duties, even at the height of the quarantines and community lockdowns, just to make sure that learning never stops for the sake of the learners.
That is why the Department of Education (DepEd), along with government and private organizations, honored the education frontline heroes during the recently-concluded National Teachers’ Month (NTM).
Now on its 13th year, NTM has become more relevant as the nation continues to battle COVID-19.
In her message at the nationwide virtual NTM celebration last October 5, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones emphasized the importance of teachers in nation-building amid these challenging times. “Your resilience and innovativeness are crucial factors in ensuring that we will continue to perform our mandate of delivering quality education for our children,” she said.
City Savings Bank, Inc. (CitySavings), long-time DepEd partner and UnionBank thrift bank subsidiary, joined in the fray to honor education frontliners through its initiatives that focus on appreciating and raising teacher quality.
“Though these past two years have not been easy, City Savings Bank will always be here to help the education community in our own way as you serve and inspire our future generations. Maraming salamat po sa inyong sakripisyo,” said City Savings President and CEO Lorenzo Ocampo.
The bank showed its appreciation for teachers through a bank-wide NTM event, where branches gave tokens of gratitude to clients, and the #MyTeacherMyFrontlineHero social media campaign featuring inspiring stories during this time of distance learning and about the teaching profession. It sponsored major prizes including e-gift vouchers, teaching tools, and brand new motorcycle units that were raffled off during the virtual NTM celebration.
CitySavings also revved up its Motor Moto program that offers education personnel 0-percent installment for pre-loved motorcycles.
To support DepEd’s Basic Education – Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP), the bank donated sanitation essentials, handwashing facilities, printing materials, and learning equipment. This initiative, under DepEd’s Brigada Eskwela program, benefited more than 340 schools and division offices across the country.
To complement this, CitySavings gave access to many teacher training opportunities to upskill educators as the new academic year begins. The virtual webinars and workshops include: Project Agile (Managing Virtual Classes), Project Peraparasyon (Practical Wealth Management), Project Pink (Breast Cancer Awareness), Project #BetterMe (Mental Health Awareness), Disaster Risk Reduction 101 in partnership with the Aboitiz Foundation, and Education 4.0: Future Proofing Institutions live casts with Thames International School. These sessions have reached over 2,200 participants composed of teaching and non-teaching personnel, disaster risk reduction coordinators, school administrators, and education leaders.
It was a truly honorable initiative by CitySaving and DepEd to honor education frontline heroes. CitySavings hopes that these initiatives will continue to inspire and help educators around the country as they go beyond their call of duty and embody this year’s NTM themes of “I Teach for a Better Future” and “Gurong Filipino: Katuwang sa Hamon, Kasama sa Pagbangon.”