Benguet State University through the Higher Education Regional Research Center (HERRC), College of Teacher Education (CTE), Research and Extension Publication (REPO), and the Office of Extension Services (OES) successfully organized the 3rd Educator’s Forum or ‘Tongtongan’ on November 7-8, 2024.
This year’s theme for the forum was “Transforming Insights into Impact: Leveraging Research to Shape and Implement Effective Policies in Education.” The event aimed to bridge the gap between research and policy implementation. This is in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education – Cordillera Administrative Region (CHED-CAR), the Department of Education (DepEd) – Benguet Division, the Philippine Association for Teacher Education Association (PAFTE)-CAR, and the State Universities and Colleges Teacher Education Association (SUCTEA)-CAR. The forum provided a platform for faculty researchers to share their findings with policymakers and end-users.
The forum catered to both Basic Education and Higher Education institutions. A unique feature of this year’s event was the introduction of reverse pitching. This innovative approach allowed stakeholders like the DepEd, CHED and local government education committees to share their research needs, fostering collaboration and identifying potential partnerships with researchers.
The first day of the event started with a doxology and singing of the national anthem led by the BSU Glee Club followed by a welcome remark from the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Office of the VP for Research and Extension (OVPRE), Kenneth A. Laruan. In his welcome message, Laruan expressed his gratitude to the organizers and participants of the forum.
Dina Teresita P. Balaan – Chair of the Philippine Association for Teachers and Educators – CAR Chapter, also the Dean of the College of Teacher Education and Liberal arts of Kings College of the Philippines (KCP) then introduced the first keynote speaker in the person of Felina P. Espique – VP for Academic Affairs (VPAA) at Saint Louis University (SLU).
Espique emphasized the importance of research in promoting legislative changes and policy reforms. She pointed out that policy recommendations should be supported with data and evidence to avoid being charged with perjury. Additionally, she shared with the participants the reports from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) and the Teacher Education Council (TEC). Espique then urged educators to acknowledge their influence in determining the future of education in the country as she concluded her speech.
“Let us transform the insights we gain from research into tangible actions that shape policies and form practices and evaluate our educational standards to new heights”, she said.
Following the session of Espique, University President Felipe Salaing Comila gave his message to the participants about leveraging the beauty we get from research in making an impact to the world.
Afterwards, Janet Lynn M. Balagtey, HERRC Director shared the rationale and mechanics of the activity. Balagtey started her discussion by reminding everyone that a research not disseminated is a research not conducted. She then gave a short narration as to how the tongtongan started and highlighted that the forum comes with nine Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units granted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). After her talk, she introduced the discussants for the day; Dina Teresita Balaan from KCP, Elizabeth Sagubo – University of Cordillera, and Bernardita C. Ayunon – Philippine Association for Teachers and Educators – CAR.
Succeeding the introductions and remarks, participants from several state institutions and schools in Benguet presented their research papers. Later on, a fruitful tongtongan / forum about the researches with the presenters and participants happened.
The second day of the event began with a message from the VP for Research and Extension Roscinto Ian C. Lumbres proposing and encouraging a separate regional consortium for education research as he believes that educators are ready to compete.
Next, CTE Dean Divina M. Yango introduced the second keynote speaker; Soraya T. Faculo – Schools Division Superintendent of the DepEd – Baguio City. Faculo’s talk focused on the collaboration of policy makers and school stakeholders with implementing, iterating and influencing through research. In connection with the theme, she also shared how insights are transformed into impact and how to turn complaints into data especially in the education sector.
The last strand of research presentations followed after Balagtey reiterated the mechanics of reverse pitching. The pitchers were: Mayumi G. Belandres, OIC – Division Chief, Research Management Division representing CHED National; Jardson S. Onio, Education Program Supervisor Mathematics for DepEd – Benguet; and Hon. Teddy C. Walang from the Municipal Education Committee of the Local Government Unit (LGU) La Trinidad.
A quick concept paper formulation was later done by the participants about the insights they have gained from the reverse pitching. After the workshop, Cheryll C. Launio, Director of REPO had a brief session about publication opportunities. She introduced existing journals such as the Mountain Journal of Science Interdisciplinary Research (MJSIR), and the Journal of Humanities and Language Education (JHLE).
The event ended with Apler J. Bansiong, Research Coordinator of CTE who shared the synthesis of the two-day activity, followed by Ana Cris L. Langaoan Director of OES with her closing message. She expressed her gratitude to the researchers, organizers, and their partners for the success of the event. Langaoan encouraged everyone to sustain their commitment in promoting a culture of research and collaboration that will drive a quality education in the community.//DPaydowan, LGuzman
