It is with great joy that I join the Graciano Lopez Jaena school community in celebrating its latest accolade.
The school was declared champion in the Department of Education’s CIRCLE – or Curriculum and Instruction Regional Champions for Learning – Awards as the Most Learning-Focused Inclusive Education for its Madrasah Education Program.
The GLJES Madrasah Program is under Asatidz Wardaton Jamela Magondacan, who has been our Service-Learning partner for over 15 years.
Madrasah education in public schools, which is focused on Arabic language, m culture and beliefs, is intended by children of the Muslim faith.
GLJES which represented the Division of Bacolod City, bested two other regional finalists – Camanci Elementary School of the Division of Aklan and Sara Elementary School of the Division of Iloilo City.
The awarding program was held on Dec. 18 at the Iloilo Grand Hotel in Iloilo City.
Among those who joined Ma’am Warda at the regional awards program were OIC Assistant Superintendent Randolph Aleman of the Division of Bacolod City;
Dr. Pinky Pamela Guanzon, division coordinator of the Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education, and GLJES teacher and Madrasah program coordinator Ma. Agnes Joy Ledesma, who represented Principal Dennis Estaniel.
The Madrasah mentor expressed thanks for the support of Sir Dennis, former Anne Marie Latorre and her fellow GLJES teachers.
Congratulations, Sir Dennis, Ms. Warda, faculty, staff and Madrasah learners’ families and other stakeholders!
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My involvement with the GLJES Madrasah classroom started when my class at the University of St. La Salle held a December gift-giving program for children of Muslim families at Barangay 31 more than 15 years ago.
We soon adopted the B-31 Muslim community as the as partner in our Service-Learning, or civic engagement, program.
Eventually we moved our peace education initiative to the nearby G.L. Jaena ES, which has a Madrasah classroom, where my students pursued their literacy and peace-focused project.
The civic-education service of my former students has continued through donations of school supplies and other materials as I expanded the engagement to include my Senior High students at St. John’s Institute, where I taught for three years after retiring from the university.
I also established international link for the Madrasah classroom when I introduced it to the S-L team of Taiwan’s Fu Jen Catholic University which has been annually visiting the school for more than five years now for cultural exchange sessions.
Even during summer breaks, groups of students were always ready to answer the Brigada Eskwela call with their cleanup and wall-and-ceiling painting skills.
Our recent engagement with the Madrasah classroom came early this year when my former students, responding on Ms. Warda’s appeal for help, mobilized resources to build two toilets for the well-being of male and female learners.
The donation simply shows that Service-L earning has proven to be a way of life for students long after completing their college education.
Truly, the Lopez Jaena Madrasah classroom has remained in our hearts and mind. What Ma’am Thada Limbaña, former GLJES principal whispered to me during a Madrasah activity in the school still rings in my mind: We’re grateful to you and your students. “The Madrasah program is your ministry.”
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Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1) | NWI
