Parent partnership

The start of a school year is considered the best time for parents to gear up for a good relationship with the teachers who’ll be spending a good part of the next ten months with their children. Right from the start, positive communication between parents and educators is essential for a successful school year. It doesn’t matter if a child is in kindergarten or in senior year of high school; I’m sure teachers appreciate knowing that parents are interested in their child’s development and performance.

Recent studies show that getting involved in your child’s education helps him perform better in school. Not only is he more likely to get higher grades and stay in school, but the schools also seem to thrive on situations where parents take an active role. Arguably, the best ally that education has in nurturing a student’s urge to learn is, first and foremost, a parent.

Mercifully, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Jesli Lapus recognizes communication as an essential ingredient in parent involvement. Thus the DepEd’s Balik Eskwela Command Center is doing a great job at keeping parents in the loop of things for the present school year.

According to Lapus, the Balik Eskwela Command Center has been quick in responding to the cases forwarded to them, resolving 348 out of 352 cases as of June 1. I heard as well that the remaining unresolved cases are currently being facilitated. The Command Center is open at the beginning of the school year to handle queries and complaints from the public, parents especially.

This is the sort of overture that all government bodies should engage in; not only is DepEd facilitating transparency, but it is also providing a vehicle for input that can be converted into output. The model of Balik Eskwela produces demands and support for action toward the current political system, which are then turned into output directed at some aspect of the surrounding educational environment.

We are all so fond of bandying about the term “transparency” when we discuss the government. There is, however, method to this so-called madness, as we’re not playing a game of Buzzword Bingo whenever we ask for transparent government practices. A transparent government helps keep us, the public, informed about critical issues during these hectic times. It also maintains our trust in the officials, elected or appointed.

This leads me to the recent brouhaha about the DepEd’s feeding program. Lapus effectively put the program indefinitely on hold when he cancelled the contract because a losing bidder took potshots at it, even broadsides at the Secretary and even got the ear of Senator Mar Roxas. While I myself am not convinced that hungry children have to suffer because of a sourpuss or two, I applaud the swift and impartial action that Lapus took. All the allegations of wrongdoing in the aborted awarding of the contract somehow gave the impression that Jeverps Manufacturing was Lapus’ preferred bidder.

However, a quick check at the history of Jeverps’ dealings with DepEd would reveal that the company has been doing business with the department since 1998, way before Lapus was appointed to his position in 2005. It is quite interesting to note, as well, that the first time Jeverps made a bid during the term of Lapus, the result was a failure of bidding. Not the sort of behavior you’d expect from a pay-to-play politico, but exactly the kind of conduct you would get from one whose record in government service has been consistently spotless.  

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Have your photo taken, and your smile will help raise a million pesos for the benefit of needy Filipino children. This is Sony Ericsson’s, SM Supermalls’ and UNICEF’s campaign to spread smiles through Sony Ericsson’s Smile Shutter project.

Smile Shutter is a Sony-trademarked technology featured in new Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot phones such as the C510, the C905 and the just released C903. 

The campaign will collect digital smile photos through Smile Booths located in SM Supermalls, through 17 Sony Ericsson Experience Shops across the country and through the official campaign website at www.sonyericsson. com/spreadthesmiles.

Each smile photo collected will be equivalent to a P1 donation to UNICEF. For a P20 donation at the booth or the shop, the donor gets a souvenir photo courtesy of printing partner Digiprint, while another photo goes up on the Smile Wall. The donor also gets a raffle coupon for a chance to win the 3.2-megapixel Sony Ericsson C510 Cyber-shot phone.

“With Spread The Smiles, we at Sony Ericsson recognize our nature as a people who smile through adversity, and smile through change,” noted Dennis Manzano, Sony Ericsson general manager. UNICEF Country Representative Vanessa Tobin said a generous donation will help give more young Filipinos access to early childhood education.

Nine SM Malls are participating in the campaign with Smile Booths and Smile Walls to rise on different dates: SM Cebu, SM Davao, and SM Iloilo, June 2 to June 7; SM Pampanga, SM Baguio and SM Manila, June 9 to 15. People can also visit Sony Ericsson Experience shops and authorized Sony Ericsson dealers nationwide to try Cyber-shot phones with Smile Shutter and donate smile photos. A giant Smile Wall with these donated smiles will rise at SM North EDSA at the end of the campaign.

At the official campaign website, people can upload smile photos, write a note on how the smile was captured, get tips on how to take better shots, and view the Smile Gallery. Online donors will also get a chance to win the Sony Ericsson C510 Cyber-shot phone. Spread the Smiles will last till June 30.

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