Over 670 teachers and school officials from the Department of Education (DepEd) – National Capital Region (NCR) Division attended the recently concluded 2-day CVIF-Dynamic Learning Program (DLP) training organized by wireless services provider Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart).
CVIF-DLP is a crisis-resilient, innovative education strategy that promotes independent student learning to improve the academic performance of a learner, especially in Science, Innovative Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It was first established in 2002 at the Central Visayan Institute Foundation (CVIF) in Jagna, Bohol by world-renowned Theoretical Physicists and Ramon Magsaysay awardees for education, Dr. Christopher Bernido, and Dr. Ma. Victoria Carpio-Bernido.
In partnership with social outreach arm PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) of parent company PLDT Inc., Smart has helped roll out CVIF-DLP workshops across the country for over a decade. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the company continues to help learning communities transition to CVIF-DLP by continuously conducting extensive virtual trainings in partnership with over 10 DepEd Division Offices nationwide, specifically to help ensure continuous learning.
According to DepEd NCR Regional Director Dr. Malcolm S. Garma, the global health crisis has given them a chance to realize that there is room for innovation in basic education. “DepEd NCR wants to focus on how to make learning simple, and CVIF-DLP is one of those techniques that can meet this requirement,” he said during the CVIF-DLP virtual training.
“We’ve supported the CVIF-Dynamic Learning Program for over 10 years now because it provides concrete, tried-and-tested solutions to the problems faced by the education sector, to help attain our LearnSmart goal that no learner will get left behind,” said Stephanie Orlino, AVP for Community Partnerships, Smart Communications.
The CVIF-DLP training for NCR educators was also made possible by Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). The largest corporate-led social development foundation in the Philippines has partnered with PLDT and Smart for various initiatives, such as School-in-a-Bag, wherein recipients of the portable digital classrooms are also trained on CVIF-DLP.
In support of the DepEd’s Learning Continuity Plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Smart announced during the agency’s School Opening Day National Program and World Teachers Day celebration in October 2020 the availability of over 2,000 free-to-download CVIF-DLP Learning Activity Sheets at www.commons.deped.gov.ph. This DepEd portal can be accessed by Smart and TNT subscribers even without data load. These ready-to-use Junior and Senior High School resources developed by CVIF is one of only three supplemental learning materials being endorsed by DepEd for SY 2020-2021.
To date, more than 230 formal and non-formal schools nationwide have implemented CVIF-DLP. It has been proven to work in all primary and secondary academic levels, as well as in the Alternative Learning System (ALS), and targets the entire spectrum of learners, including Special Education students.
Director Garma added that he hopes more schools will give CVIF-DLP a chance. “Independent learning has become more relevant now because students are not in school. We have to consider that each learner has a different learning environment while at home, and we’re hopeful that CVIF-DLP will respond to all that,” he said.
Continuing Smart’s and PSF’s support for the CVIF-DLP is part of a much broader program of PLDT, the Philippines’ largest integrated telco, to assist the education sector as it overcomes the challenges posed by the pandemic.
As a technology company, Smart needs to be fast-paced in order to keep up with what’s happening worldwide. The same applies to the education sector, as we need our school systems to keep up with the technologies of the world,” said Darwin F. Flores, VP For Community Partnerships at Smart.
“CVIF-DLP’s systems-based scientific approach for enhanced independent learning while fostering the highest level of creativity and productivity is crucial in today's highly digital world,” Flores added.
To learn more about CVIF-DLP, visit www.dlp.ph, follow the Dynamic Learning Program on Facebook, or send an email to learnsmart@smart.com.ph.