Benguet State University (BSU) formalized partnerships with the DepEd-Cordillera Administrative Region, Balili Elementary School, and the Epiphany Christian Academy of La Trinidad Incorporated (ECALTI) through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing ceremony on July 21, 2025 at the BSU RDC Hall.
BSU President Kenneth A. Laruan, DepEd-CAR Regional Director Estela L. Cariño, Balili Elementary School Principal Emerson B. Hadsan, and ECALTI BOT Vice-Chairperson Julia A. Solimen led the MOA signing, emphasizing in their messages the significant role of these partnerships in enhancing education.
“As networks, we should help each other in the enhancement of education… in the sharing of our resources for the improvement of our education,” Solimen stated.
“Partnership is crucial to success. It fosters innovation, improvement, and offers support,” Laruan added.
BSU with the DepEd CAR signed three different MOAs to renew their collaborations on the Student Internship Program in the Philippines (SIPP), Extension, and the project “Salaknib Tan Namnama.”
The BSU’s College of Teacher Education (CTE) will join the collaborative efforts on the SIPP and the extension collaborations. The College of Numeracy and Applied Sciences and other BSU colleges will also participate in the extension partnerships.
The project “Salaknib Tan Namnama” is a DepEd-CAR-initiated project that aims to uplift and restore the self-worth of learners in CAR who have experienced challenging circumstances. This Ibaloi phrase “Salaknib Tan Namnama” connotes “Saving or Protecting and Giving Hope.”
On the other hand, BSU and Balili Elementary School signed a MOA to support the extension project, “CATCH: Coaching, Assisting and Teaching Children and Household Members.” Led by the BSU-CTE’s Department of Elementary Education, this project aims to enhance the reading performance of pupils at the Balili Elementary School.
The specific activities planned under the CATCH project include reading assessments to identify areas for improvement; sharing of resources; conducting reading tutorials; providing expert services to train parents in supporting their children’s reading development; and organizing seminars and forums on effective parenting strategies.
Likewise, BSU, through the CTE, formalized a partnership with ECALTI that focuses on extension collaboration. Key areas of collaboration include professional services exchange, capacity building initiatives, shared use of facilities, and exchange of best practices in instruction, research, and extension.
In his closing remarks, BSU Vice President for Research and Extension Roscinto Ian C. Lumbres expressed gratitude for the new partnerships, emphasizing the importance of not only implementing extension activities but also ensuring that research findings and activities are shared with stakeholders and communities to maximize their impact.//EMB