Global classrooms bridge Philippines communities

MANILA, Philippines – A non-government organization has launched the Global Classroom project in partnership with the Department of Education to promote education among Muslim and Christian youths in the country.

A global classroom is the newest learning space wherein students from two secondary schools in Luzon and Mindanao are interactively learning history and values education subjects through video conferencing, according to PeaceTech program manager Dana Raissa de Guzman.

PeaceTech president Gianna Montinola said the global classroom aims to bridge communities and students affected by armed conflict.

Montinola said they have reached out to approximately 40,000 students, out-of-school youths, insurgent groups, soldiers, widows and war victims.

“In the Philippines, we have bridged provinces such as Manila and Cebu,” Montinola said.

The PeaceTech has linked conservative and liberal Muslim groups in Sumatra, Java, Kalimtanan and Ambon in Indonesia.

The global classroom was initially launched at the Cotabato City National High School (CCNHS) in Cotabato City and Ramon Magsaysay Cubao High School (RMCHS) in Quezon City. 

Shaira Lingko, an eighth grader at CCNHS, said she has learned to respect religious differences with her “virtual Christian classmates” at the RMCHS.

“For almost five months, I have learned to respect our religious differences. We may be people of different religion, but that does not mean we cannot become good Christians and Muslims,” she said in Filipino.

De Guzman said they used the same curriculum provided by the DepEd.

“The difference is that students have their online assignments and two teachers are facilitating the lessons from each class,” she said.

Using a projector and Skype, the students from CCNHS and RMCHS start their class by offering Muslim and Christian prayers, followed by a short review of the previous subjects they tackled.

Luz de la Cruz, a history teacher of RMCHS, said teaching has become easier as she would no longer exert effort in making visual aids or writing down the lessons on manila paper.

“We can present our lessons in an interactive way in just a click,” she said.

Aside from history and values education, De Guzman said they are planning to teach English and Science subjects in the future.

The PeaceTech is coordinating with the US embassy in Manila to be able to reach out to out-of-school youths in Zamboanga City and the provinces of Basilan, Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Sulu and Tawi Tawi.