In response to the changes and challenges of the 21st century, Rex Education highlights the need for resilient and agile education to equip today’s learners.
Whether due to rapid technological advances or sudden disruptions such as the pandemic, education should be geared toward the needs, capabilities, resources, and well-being of learners.
“It is no longer enough that our children are in school; they should also be healthy and safe. It is no longer enough that they are taught; they should be engaged, supported, and challenged,” said Rex Education chief executive officer Don Timothy Buhain.
“It is no longer enough that we go about our traditional fair share of work – we need to consciously champion education,” he added.
The “Bawat Paaralan, Edukampyon” (BPE) continuum under Rex Education’s Edukampyon advocacy was born to respond to the changing needs of today’s learners.
The BPE continuum is a whole school approach to ensure that every child in every school is a Filipino Whole Learner – healthy, safe, engaged, supported, challenged, and values-oriented.
The goal, Buhain said, is to build a community of duty-bearers who are dedicated to respecting, protecting, and fulfilling the right of every learner to quality education.
UNESCO the whole school approach as “addressing the needs of learners, staff and the wider community, not only within the curriculum, but across the whole-school and learning environment. It implies collective and collaborative action in and by a school community to improve student learning, behavior and wellbeing, and the conditions that support these.”
The BPE continuum was developed by Rex Education in partnership with Dr. Jerome T. Buenviaje, Dean of the UP College of Education, and Dr. Joel C. Javiniar, also of the UP College of Education.
At every stage of development, the program was also enriched and reviewed by an esteemed panel of educators: Dr. Dina Ocampo of the UP College of Education, Rita Atienza of the Ateneo Science and Art of Learning and Teaching (SALT) Institute, Dr. Filomena Dayagbil of the Cebu Normal University, and Dr. Edizon Fermin of the National Teachers College.
“BPE is not about sanctions and rewards, like other accreditation. We believe that what should drive a school to implement the BPE is the desire to improve itself and to maximize its capacities for the benefit of its students,” Buhain said.
The BPE Continuum main document is a matrix of benchmarks along seven domains: school culture and climate; leadership and responsibility; curriculum and assessment; teaching and learning; learning environment; professional development; and school, and family, and community. These domains correspond to the areas of improvement identified by the Department of Education (DepEd).
While the BPE is not an accreditation system, it prepares and equips a school for any type of accreditation. It is through the BPE that the school gets to know its stakeholders and vice versa. The program also makes assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation feel like second nature to schools, leading to greater operational efficiency.
BPE is also good for business because it reduces incidences that hinder optimal learning and improves the learning environment, which lead to better enrollment and higher stakeholder confidence. It also ensures that every school is committed to the task of molding students in a good learning environment, promoting learner-centered education, and upholding the global standards required in the 21st century.
A number of private and public schools across the country have already been invited to become BPE Pioneers. Rex Education is encouraging all institutions to take part and join their rally for learner-centered education.
To know more about Edukampyon and the BPE Continuum, and to become a part of this nationwide initiative for better education, visit rex.com.ph/edukampyon or email Rex Education at [email protected].
