Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (Memo U2021-051)

I am very pleased to inform the community that at its meeting on 1^st May 2021, the Ateneo de Manila Board of Trustees approved the naming of our newest Loyola School as the:

 
This naming is in recognition of the extraordinary donation from the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) to establish the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation Endowment for Educational Innovation.  The Endowment will be used to work towards the strategic goals and objectives of the School:
 
Capacity Building:

• Through high-quality teacher education degrees, teacher training, and leadership development – especially in the following priority areas: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), literacy, critical thinking, and Catholic education.
• Through consultancies and partnerships with selected Teacher Education Institutes (TEIs)

Knowledge Building: 

• Through high-impact research to aid educational decisions in educational policy/systems and learning and teaching (especially in STEM, literacy, critical thinking, and Catholic education)

Influence/Network Building: 

• Through strategic partnerships with other educational institutions here and abroad, government agencies and like-minded NGOs in promoting Philippine educational reform and improving education in STEM and literacy, as well as a focus on critical thinking and Catholic education.

GBSEALD will also have a Leadership Academy that will offer effective and relevant leadership development programs to principals and other educational leaders, especially in public education.  This Academy will be named:

The Academy’s programs will be funded in part by the GBF Endowment Fund.

For their generous benefaction, we wish to thank the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation led by its Chair, Mr Lance Y Gokongwei, who is also a member of the Ateneo de Manila Board of Trustees; its President, Mr James L Go, an original donor to the GBF; GBF Trustees who are Ateneo de Manila graduates and who represent their parents who endowed the GBF: Mr Patrick Henry C Go, Mr Johnson Robert G Go Jr, and Ms Lisa Y Gokongwei-Cheng (also GBF General Manager). We look forward to working with GBF in preparing outstanding future teachers, educational leaders, and learning professionals for Philippine society.

We also wish to thank my predecessor, Fr Jose Ramon T Villarin SJ, the founding Dean of GBSEALD, Fr Johnny C Go SJ, and the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Ms Bernadine T Siy for their efforts in establishing the School and in negotiating with GBF.

May the Good Lord bless GBSEALD as it endeavors to make significant contributions to Philippine educational reform, AMDG!