The Makati government is set to implement a teaching fellowship program in the city’s three public elementary schools for two years, Mayor Abigail Binay said on Tuesday.

In a virtual ceremony, the city government, along with the Department of Education, Makati City Schools Division (DepEd-Makati), and the Teach for the Philippines, Inc. (TFP) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) pushing a teaching fellowship program.

The agreement sets a PHP3.28-million budget for the teaching fellowship program which will be implemented for the school years 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022.

“The City of Makati is proud to be a part of this meaningful collaboration with the prime movers of quality public education in the country,” Binay said.

“As we shift to remote learning in the new normal, multi-stakeholder collaboration is crucial to addressing the many impediments to our envisioned quality education for all,” she added.

According to the city government, TFP Inc. has chosen six college graduates to become fellows within the partner schools of Makati which will be implemented under the MOA.

The city government said it will shoulder the allowances and cost of the training of the teacher fellows for two years, including the summer period between them.

TFP Inc., a non-stock and non-profit organization, said it will provide all fellows with access to various resources including sample lesson plans, assessments, grade tracking systems, and instructional materials.

The city government said Makati’s education department, through school principals, will directly supervise the fellows and collaborate with TFP to support them in creating an interactive platform, where critical and analytical thinking skills can be developed.

The city government said the program targets to establish a training program for the teachers and non-education majors pushing them to become successful and transformational educators.

The program also has a research and development component for the formulation of science-based policies on education in the future.

Two teacher fellows will be assigned to each of the three selected public elementary schools, the city government said.

The schools include La Paz Elementary School, Maximo Estrella Elementary School, and Nemesio I. Yabut Elementary School.

Under the MOA, each fellow will teach for a maximum of six hours a day with the supervision of the school principal.

Meanwhile, TFP co-founder and chair, Elizabeth Zobel de Ayala, said she was elated to have finally forged a partnership with Makati local government.

“We are honored to be working with the City of Makati because the leadership that you provide is extraordinary, and not just in Covid times but also in the way you supported the educational system of Makati,” she said.

Ayala cited the city government’s efforts on education amid the pandemic, have inspired TFP to pursue the teaching fellowship program in the city.

The city government initiatives include the distribution of learner’s package to students, provision of free internet load, and the Dyipni Maki mobile learning hub project. (PNA)