- Education Secretary Leonor Briones calls for a balance between teaching technology and preserving arts and culture
- She urges teachers to not let technology wipe out the influence of arts and culture, for it is what makes us uniquely human
- Meanwhile, DepEd OIC-Regional Director Nicolas Capuloong expressed his belief that the identity of a town or a province can be seen through its history, arts, and culture
Education Secretary Leonor Briones is urging teachers to strike a balance between teaching technology and its advancements, and the preservation of arts and culture.
Briones made the call during the first “Education Advocacy in Safeguarding Culture and Heritage,” which was conducted on Monday, Oct. 14, at the Kb Gymnasium, Capitol Compound in Malolos, Bulacan. The event is aimed to explore the role of municipalities and schools in developing the awareness of students on cultural heritage.
In the speech, she asked the teachers not to allow digital technology to contribute to the erosion of cultural values and practices among our students.
“Hindi lamang sa kasuotan naipapakita ang kultura, kung hindi sa laman ng ating puso. Iyon ang mahalaga, na huwag nating kalimutan sa panahong ito,” she said.
[Culture cannot only be displayed through costumes but also through what is inside our hearts. That is important, let us not forget it in these times].
The secretary also emphasized her point by tying our existence as humans to the culture and history that we have and we share among each other.
“Hindi tayo robot, hindi tayo cyborg, hindi tayo mga machines, kung hindi tayo ay humans. Bilang tao, tayo ay may kasaysayan, may kultura, may sariling pag-iisip.”
[We are not robots, not cyborgs and not machines but we are humans. As humans, we have history, culture and our own mind.]
Briones also pointed out that arts and culture could be a useful medium to teach other subjects, such as mathematics and other branches of sciences.
“The style in education now is learning is fun, learning is enjoyable. Nakikita ko ang mga bata ngayon na gumagawa ng robot, gumagawa ng mga computer games themselves. Dito makikita natin na enjoy na enjoy sila sa pag-aaral. Makikita natin na hindi na sila natatakot sa trigonometry, sa chemistry, o sa geometry,” she added.
[We see children making robots nowadays, making computer games by themselves and we can see that they enjoy their studies. We can see that they are not afraid of trigonometry, chemistry or geometry.]
Further along into the speech, the secretary also highlighted the crucial role of the arts and culture as a catalyst for helping the youth, particularly those who are suffering from mental health illnesses, and to express themselves through the different forms of art.
[To those children who have a hard time coping up in this world and those who have difficulty adjusting], they turn to painting, to music, to sculpture. This is where art also plays an important role. Not only for the learners but also for the teachers, because I know that the life of a teacher is also very difficult,” Briones said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd) Officer-in-charge Regional Director Nicolas Capuloong expressed his belief that the identity of a town or a province can be seen through its history, arts, and culture.
“Ang pagkakakilanlan ng ating bayan ay marapat lamang na bantayan, pagyamanin, ipagmalaki, at higit sa lahat ay ating palaganapin upang ang salinlahi ay higit na maunawaan ang pagkakakilanlan ng lahing Pilipino, ang lahing Gitnang Luzon,” he expressed.
[The identity of our town should be guarded, enriched and be proud of and most of all, let us propagate it so that our next generation will understand more the identity of the Filipino race, the race of Central Luzon.]
With the support of the provincial government of Bulacan and its DepEd Schools Division Office, the activity was held to promote nationalism and patriotism through the safeguarding of cultural heritage.
The one-day advocacy event included lectures on the preservation of culture and heritage and the roles of LGUs in its promotion and preservation. -PNA
