Coalition for Better Education (CBE) 10th Anniversary

CBE Board of Trustees

10 years ago, the Coalition for Better Education (CBE) trailblazers gathered hence the creation of Coalition for Better Education! In 2001, reports show a relatively low turn out of National Achievement Test (NAT) scores both in public elementary and secondary schools in the province of Cebu. This moved the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) together with the Aboitiz Group Foundation, and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) to map out concerns and issues affecting the local education system and address them accordingly.

Composed of the various education stakeholders from the academe, students, parents, government, business, non-government organizations, media and civic groups, the Coalition for Better Education continues to be committed in its vision of CREATING EMPOWERED COMMUNITIES OF LEARNING. For a decade, CBE has organized, strengthened and sustained an educational community that involves its stakeholders to re-invest on education, build linkage between the academe and the industries and advocate leadership and governance especially in the public education sector.

Cebu City Vice Mayor Young, CBE President Dr. Labe and Mayor Rama

In August 2011, the Coalition for Better Education (CBE) - an association of stakeholders in eduacation will celebrate its 10th anniversary. To Launch the celebrations, CBE is mounting a photo-exhibit of its projects and its partners in Ayala Center Cebu. The Photo Exhibit hopes to communicate the aspirations, involvement an accomplishments of the organization as seen in the eyes of its partners and cebu photographers.

The celebrations will also include a forum on education to be participated by education stakeholders from around the country and will feature experts in education in the Philippines and abroad. Individuals, families, organizations and friends may also participate and support the coalition's causes through a fun-run as well as mall promotions. In August, an assembly of CBE Scholars, members and beneficiaries will be held to celebrate the milestones and accomplishments of the organization. In December, CBE will host an Education Ball and Partners' Night to honor its benefactors and members and to forge new partnerships for the next ten years.

CBE has institutionalized programs such as the Center for Teacher Excellence (CefTex) - a facility for teachers, both pre-service and in-service to acquire and demonstrate advance and relevant knowledge of education and teaching methodologies, teaching skills and techniques that will enhance and develop their capability and competency as teachers. CefTex is in partnership with City Savings Bank, Globe Telecom and Cebu Normal Universtiy.

Another successful CBE project is the Innovating Communities for Better Education (iNCUBE) with CBE conveners, RAFI, Aboitiz Foundation and PBSP. iNCUBE showcases the involvement of the community in the governance of a local public school. The structure of the pilot model is designed where the community co-administers and co-manages plans, programs and projects of the local public school.

CBS is also currently partner of Globe Telecom in its Global Filipino Teachers and Global Filipino Schools Programs and is also main implementing partner of Microsoft Philippines as it rolls out Multipoint Technology in various schools in the Country. National advocacy groups such as the Education Network, Philippines Business for Education and, Education Nation have collaborated with the organization in the conduct of various advocacy activities that addressed Education for All goals.

While these interventions were assumed best practices and showed what worked in CBE's 10 years' journey of advocating its education agenda, it pushes forth yet another platform: "next practices"--what could work better.

Ten years ago, CBE must have had a vision of a better nation through education As Andy Stanley puts it in his best selling book Visioneering said, "visions start as a concern, a burden, or a tension that, "what is" is so far off from "what could be".