Mentoring, empowering school leaders

The Security Bank Foundation Inc. launched a three-year training program for school leaders titled "Mentoring Future Leaders for Nation-Building" through an online kick-off session on 7 July 2023. The session, facilitated by Ateneo De Manila University, focused on "Philippine Educational Challenges and Solutions."

This was followed by a three-and-a-half day in-person training in July featuring lectures, group discussions, workshops and industry visits. The training followed the International Certificate in Educational Studies in Leadership modules by the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom and The HEAD Foundation, Singapore.

Thirty school leaders nationwide were selected to be part of the program's first batch of trainees.

The SBFI's new training program guides participants through the transformation of the self, the school and the community by challenging them to develop and implement action plans. The modules are expected to improve competencies in instructional leadership, contextual problem-solving and stakeholder engagement to enable school leaders to solve pressing problems in their schools.

The length of the program allows it to be sustainable, with progress continuously monitored to see the long-term impact on students and the schools' overall environment. The trained principals will also be part of a professional fellowship group that will serve as mentors to new batches of trainees.

"We acknowledge that classrooms alone will not completely address the current state of the country's educational system. We need to complement it with training programs for teachers and school leaders. Improving the quality of education also needs a long-term and structured approach," said Rafael Simpao Jr., SBFI chairman.

Beginning in 2023, one batch of approximately 30 school leaders will be admitted annually to the program. While priority will be given to those coming from schools where SBFI has previously donated classrooms, slots for school leaders from other public schools will still be given.

The Department of Education is also involved through the nomination of school leaders, along with program accreditation and monitoring to ensure the program's success.

"The launch of this three-year, in-service training program reaffirms our shared commitment to support the professional development of our school principals. With effective leadership, principals can ensure an enabling and supporting environment for quality teaching and learning process," said Dr. Gina Gonong, DepEd Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction.