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The Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute, or SEARSOLIN, is one of the outreach units of Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. It is an international training center devoted to the formation of proficient leaders who are committed to working for the causes of poverty alleviation and total human growth within the perspective of Asia, Africa and the Pacific’s diverse cultural and religious practices. SEARSOLIN aims to encourage reverence for human dignity, an understanding and respect for different religious beliefs, fair distribution of wealth and treating the Earth’s bounty with care and reverence.

SEARSOLIN caters to the developing nations of the South, or the Third World. Because it is located in the Orient, it brings together the rich cultural and religious customs of the East. The institute’s trainees mainly come from the three sub-regions of Asia: the South, Southeast, and East Asia. It also welcomes participants from the African continent and the Pacific Islands. SEARSOLIN’s concerns concentrate on rural development matters that include rural poverty mitigation as challenged by food security. SEARSOLIN also strives to follow the last paragraph of the XU mission statement, which is dedicated to the formation of leaders with conscience, competence, and commitment; leaders with an apparent vision and the social skills needed for the development tasks ahead. SEARSOLIN is not only a training hub with a time-tested program; it is also an ongoing fellowship venue among development workers who hail from different countries of Asia and the developing world.

The training programs concentrate towards the understanding of poverty, the progression that leads or enables it, and the adoption of the skills needed to lessen it. With SEARSOLIN, the poor or marginalized sector is always top priority as recipients for their programs.

The College of Agriculture of Xavier University was founded in 1953 by Fr. William F. Masterson, S.J. Eleven years after, SEARSOLIN commenced with full support from MISEROR, Germany. Since then, it has trained thousands of rural and social development leaders from various parts of Asia, the Pacific and Africa.

The SEARSOLIN program is integrated as it zeroes in on the importance of holistically training an individual in the hopes of molding him to become a person of service to others. The program achieves this through the combination of value courses and social sciences, as well as the application of practical skills and proper management. SEARSOLIN focuses on the mind, the heart, and the hands. The pedagogy is more on application than being strictly academic. One of the unique experiences a person can get from SEARSOLIN is the opportunity to interact with international members during the community live-in training that usually lasts for months. This is a good opportunity for developing an individual’s social and management skills and values; something that SEARSOLIN always strives to achieve.

-by Mark Anthony Daposala and Maia Fortich-Poblete-

As far as the Korean student market is concerned, Philippine language schools remain as some of the best destinations for learning English. South Koreans, most especially, are attracted by the relatively low cost of educational services and housing here. Plus, the said language is used as a medium of instruction in schools, business, media, entertainment and other sectors in the country. Thus, Koreans can get good English instructors at a fraction of the price.

World Class Language Center

Today, people can find a considerable number of English as a Second Language (ESL) schools scattered all over the Philippines, including in the city of Cagayan de Oro. Since the start of the 2000s, Cagayan de Oro residents have seen a significant rise in learning institutions that specialize in teaching the English language to international students. And one of these institutions is the World Class Language Center.

Koreans looking for the best ESL school in Cagayan de Oro City may consider this establishment. As suggested by its name, the World Class Language Center provides first rate facilities in an environment that’s conducive to learning. With their range of comprehensive and effective courses, they are able to equip their students with the knowledge and skills necessary to take on the English speaking world.

Learner-Centered Curriculum

The World Class Language Center uses a learner-centered approach to teaching the English language. This means they limit the number of students in each class so that instructors can meet the needs of each student while achieving maximum transfer of learning, which is in contrary to most Philippine schools where teachers divide their attention among the 50 or so students that make up a class.

The learner-centered curriculum is patterned after the educational system of developed countries like the US, Germany and the UK. In these nations, classrooms in both public and private schools mostly have a population of not more than 25.

Other Language Courses

Aside from teaching the English language, the World Class Language Center also offers courses in other languages. Other learning programs are focused on Chinese, Japanese, Dutch and Arabic, among others. There are even classes that teach Cebuano-Visayan, Tagalog and other local languages to foreigners or tourists.

The Importance of Learning English

Communications plays a very important role in today’s globalized society, whether in business or personal affairs. English, which is considered as the global language, can break communication barriers and bridge international relations. And no one knows this better than second language speakers. A second language is one that is used by an individual or community, aside from the mother tongue. Thus, Filipinos are second language speakers of English, and so are Koreans.

Most academic institutions today have shifted and given more importance to the English language. Schools in the elementary, secondary, and tertiary levels have enhanced their English instruction in order to form globally competent students on a regular basis. Even schools in Korea have made it a point to hire native speakers of English so that their students will have adequate and proper education in the language.

With this in mind, it’s important for Asian countries to create a strong foundation of their teaching strategies and approaches.

-by Gillian Abonitalla-
(Photo taken from olx.com.ph)

The best campus journalists in the Philippines were awarded during the National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) in Tagum City, and 12 of these student journalists were from Northern Mindanao.

Held on February 22-26, 2010, NSPC is an annual four-day competition that brings together campus journalists in the elementary and high school levels from all over the Philippines. Tagum City, Daveo del Norte served as the host for this year’s competition, which had the theme “Campus Journalism as a Catalyst for Change: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.”

The Northern Mindanao winners who excelled in their respective categories were:

1.Jasper James Budiongan

A student of Manuel Lugod Elementary School in Gingoog City, he won first place in editorial writing (Filipino).

2.Elbert Sanaga

The champion in the category editorial cartooning (English) is from Medina National Comprehensive High School.

3.June Ralph Naling

This student of Salawagan Central School in Quezon, Bukidnon won first place in editorial cartooning (English).

4.Johnny D. Pabillore

The second place winner of the sports writing category (English), he is from Yumbing National High School in Camiguin.

5.Bern Erick Quinol

He is a student at Vicente N. Chaves Memorial Central School who won second place in sports writing (English).

6.Janelle Hyleni Paulma

A Kagay-anon, this student is from Regional Science High School and won third place in photojournalism (English).

7.Remar Muriera Daya

The fourth place winner of editorial cartooning (Filipino), he is from Tagoloan National High School.

8.Leopoldo Gillamac

Studying at St. Michael’s Grade School in Tangub City, he is the fifth place winner in the category editorial writing (English).

9.Marianne Pearl Dael

The one who represented Jasaan National High School for the copy reading and headline writing (Filipino) category, she was awarded sixth place.

10.Vernie Glojun Lasmarras

The sixth placer in the news writing category (English), this student is from Opol National Secondary Technical School.

11.Jonalyn R. Ebarle

Ranked sixth place in the sports writing category (Filipino), this student is from Fatima College of Camiguin.

12.Lendon Lasan

Placed in the seventh position in the editorial cartooning category (Filipino), he is a student of Natumulan Elementary School in Tagoloan.

Imagine being part of the top campus journalists of the country. This is what the winners of NSPC felt when they were given the awards they so deserved. From among the students from 17 regions around the Philippines, they were chosen and placed in the top rankings.

In addition, three of the representative schools from Northern Mindanao were also given honors in group competitions. These three schools were:

1.La Salle University – Integrated School of Ozamiz City

Located in the city of Ozamiz, this educational institution bagged first place in the radio broadcasting category (Filipino).

2.West City Central School

A grade school situated in Cagayan de Oro City, West City Central School won second place in the category radio broadcasting (English).

3.San Roque Elementary School

This grade school that serves the province of Misamis Occidental ranked sixth place in best in editorial page (English).

The winners received plaques of recognition and certificates in the awarding ceremony. Their schools and respective and provinces couldn’t be more proud for the honor the students have achieved.

-by Gillian Abonitalla-
(Photo taken from psfk.com)

What started as a grade school is now one of the most well-known and most populated universities in Northern Mindanao. Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST) is an institution for higher learning that aims to provide professional instruction and advanced education in mathematics, science, technology, engineering, research, and human resource development.

With the ultimate goal of producing globally competent students, MUST has long been popular for their engineering and high-tech learning programs, although they do offer a wide selection of non-technical courses.

The university is headquartered in Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City and has satellite campuses in Jasaan in the province of Misamis Oriental, as well as in Oroquieta City and Panaon, in the province of Misamis Occidental.

The history of MUST is a rather colorful one. It all started in 1927, when a legislative act established the Misamis Oriental Trade School (MOTS), a school operating at the elementary level. Then, in 1936, the grade school program was replaced with a four-year high school trade program.

The year 1952 brought another major change to the school. As mandated by Philippine legislation, MOTS was converted to Mindanao School of Arts and Trades (MSAT), a tertiary level teaching institution offering two-year technical learning programs.

Then, in 1978, the academic organization once again changed its name and upgraded its curriculum. MSAT became the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial Polytechnic State College (DMMMPSC) with the mission of providing quality and relevant human resources in light of improving the industrialization of Northern Mindanao.

Furthermore, with the addition of a third function of the college, which is extension services, DMMMPSC saw another major transformation in its academic landscape in 1991. On this year, the college became known as Mindanao Polytechnic State College (MPSC).

Almost two decades later, the educational institution once again took another step further as it reached the status of being a university. Republic Act No. 9519 converted the college to its present name, Mindanao University of Science and Technology (or MUST).

Today, the university offers a plethora of academic programs, including undergraduate, graduate and post graduate programs.

Also, over the years, the institution has retained its high school component, which is called MUST Secondary Laboratory School. The high school segment follows the science and technology curriculum and is one of the top schools in Cagayan de Oro City.

Still specializing in science and technology courses, MUST is an integral part in the growth and development of Northern Mindanao. It has holistically molded the minds of the youth, who are considered the hope of the nation.

During the public hearing of the Senate bill that proposed to convert MPSC to MUST, Cagayan de Oro Mayor Constantino Jaraula stated that Northern Mindanao is instrumental in the industrialization of the entire Mindanao area, and therefore MUST plays an integral role in the development of Mindanao and the country.

Mayor Jaraula added that the conversion of MPSC into a university will surely raise the institution’s level of excellence in the fields of education, engineering, arts and sciences, and technology among others.

-by Gillian Abonitalla-