The partnership was formalized in a virtual event led by Huawei Philippines director of human resources Peter Zhang, Knowledge Channel president and executive director Rina Lopez, Knowledge Channel director of operations Edric Calma, BDO Foundation president Mario Deriquito, and BDO Foundation trustees Corazon Mallillin and Evelyn Salagubang.

Supportive of the Department of Education (DepEd) efforts to further improve the quality of education amid the pandemic, the corporate citizenship initiative was welcomed at the event by DepEd Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio, DepEd Undersecretary Tonisito Umali and the schools division superintendents of the beneficiary schools.

BDO Foundation, Knowledge Channel, and Huawei Philippines agreed to collaborate on two key projects—the production of educational videos for students and the professional development of teachers and school heads.

In consultation with DepEd, the partners will produce five curriculum-based videos on early numeracy, which will be used in the teaching of Mathematics to Grade One pupils across the country. These learning resources will be made available for viewing on Knowledge Channel’s on-air, online, and offline platforms.

“This will help learners gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental concepts of Mathematics, which is very important in the students’ holistic development,” Lopez explained. “I’m glad this partnership will promote the learning of Math. Success is not determined by innate talent alone but by the effort, persistence, and creative problem-solving that come with learning Math.”

BDO Foundation and Huawei Philippines will also support a Knowledge Channel program that provides public school principals and teachers training on how to leverage pre-recorded multimedia learning resources to teach lessons online and offline. 

Called Knowledge Channel Teaching in the New Normal, the program will help address the limited capacity of schools to conduct face-to-face classes due to the pandemic. The partnership project will benefit 1,500 principals and teachers in 100 schools nationwide.

Lauding the partnership of the private sector and DepEd in promoting digital education, Zhang said, “We at Huawei are committed to bridging the digital divide and serving as a catalyst for a fully connected, intelligent world. We fully support the teaching of early numeracy in Grade One Mathematics as well as the continuous upgrade of skills of educators in the new normal.”

According to Deriquito, “Even in a small way, we hope to contribute to the implementation of DepEd’s K to 12 Curriculum as well as the achievement of its Sulong Edukalidad advocacy and the recently launched Basic Education Development Plan 2030. Ultimately, we hope our initiatives will benefit the learners, who will be the future leaders and builders of our country.”

The aforementioned initiatives are the latest of BDO Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank, in partnership with Knowledge Channel Foundation and Huawei Philippines. Knowledge Channel Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to improve the quality of education in the Philippines through media and technology. Huawei is the global leader in information and communications technology infrastructure and smart devices.

BDO Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank. Founded in 2008, the foundation aims to contribute to nation-building by addressing the needs of underserved sectors of society through its disaster response and financial inclusion advocacies. 

Supported by the BDO Unibank community and in partnership with local government units and non-governmental organizations, the BDO Foundation mounts relief operations, rehabilitates rural health units, constructs school buildings, implements financial education programs, and undertakes COVID-19 response programs across the country. 

Its corporate citizenship initiatives have been recognized at the Retail Banking Awards of Asian Banking & Finance magazine and Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards of Enterprise Asia. For more information, visit www.bdo.com.ph/foundation/home, e-mail bdo.foundation@bdo.com.ph or call 8840-7000 local 36046.

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