NTM Forum 2019 showcases stories of Princess Maha Chakri Awardees

In celebration of the National Teachers’ Month (NTM) and the World Teachers’ Day, SEAMEO INNOTECH organized a Knowledge Forum with the theme, “Making Teaching a Profession of Choice: Getting the Best and the Brightest…and Keeping Them,” on 27 September 2019. The forum showcased inspirational stories of teachers who have stayed in the field of teaching amidst the challenges they face.

This year’s forum was done in collaboration with the Princess Maha Chakri Award Foundation. The Princess Maha Chakri Award (PMCA) is given once every two years to recognize outstanding teachers from the 11 Southeast Asian countries who have made great impact on their students’ lives. Three Filipino teachers who have been recipients of the award were the highlight of the NTM forum. Mr. William Moraca, Dr. Jesus Insilada, and Mr. Sadat Minandang shared their stories, inspiring a hundred teachers present in the forum.

The story of Mr. William Moraca, PMCA recipient of 2015, was shared by Dr. Tinsiri Siribodhi from the PMCA Foundation on his behalf. His story revolves around innovating alternative solutions for the school and community, addressing their needs in a rural area. His innovative methods motivated the students to go to school and to enjoy learning.

“Being a teacher is not easy. But when you have the passion to touch the lives of learners, you can do a lot,” Mr. Moraca said in a video interview.

Another inspiring story was shared by Dr. Jesus Insilada, the PMCA recipient of 2017. His touching story revolves around his advocacy to practice culture-based teaching in schools. Being a member of an indigenous community, he sees the value in using culture as the base of their teaching-learning process. His passion in bringing this advocacy forward allowed students in their community to appreciate their own culture while learning in an engaging way. He encouraged the teachers in the audience to also work on their advocacies and passion projects. This way, they will be able to provide a better learning experience for the learners while they reach their own goals.

Mr. Sadat Minandang is this year’s recipient of the PMCA. He shared about his experience in working together with the community to bring education to the out-of-school children. He retold the story of how they started Tulak-kaalaman, going out to the streets with school materials in a cart to teach literacy, numeracy, and hygiene to the children. While the start is challenging, they were able to move the initiative forward through the collaboration of the school and the community.

“What’s common with these teachers is that they go the extra mile for their learners. They all do their work with passion and they are always willing to do more for the benefits of their learners.” Dr. Siribodhi shared as she synthesized the forum session.

The Filipino awardees of the PMCA is set to travel to Thailand to receive the award from Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn herself.

Know more about the stories of the three Filipino recipients of the PMCA through this link: http://bit.ly/NTM2019presentations