Ateneo professors named fellows at the UP PEJA Fellowship Awards

Eight faculty from Ateneo de Manila University were named fellows at the recently relaunched University of the Philippines President Edgardo J Angara (UP PEJA) Fellowship Awards held at the Senate of the Philippines on Tuesday, 26 September 2023. 

The award, established in 2008 by the UP Board of Regents, is given to Filipino researchers and scholars, both from the Philippines and abroad, “who have distinguished themselves in policy research and [have] shown leadership potential, experience, and most importantly, commitment to service and the improvement of the education sector,” according to Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva.

The awardees include: 

• Kenneth Isaiah I Abante, “Empowering Citizens to Participate in Improving Education Governance in the Philippines” (with Riz Supreme B Comia of WeSolve Foundation) 
• Maria Assunta C Cuyegkeng, PhD, “Effective Delivery of Education Services: Understanding Systems, Creative Strategies, and Enabling Leadership”
• Geoffrey Ducanes, PhD, “Exploring Socialized Tuition Models as Alternatives to Free Tuition Regime”
• Maria Regina M Hechanova-Alampay, PhD, “Building a Culture that Enables Transformation in Basic Education”
• Enrique Niño P Leviste, PhD and Glenda L Wui, PhD, “What do educators do when they govern? Governance cultures, perspectives, and practices in Philippine basic education settings”
• Maria Mercedes T Rodrigo, PhD, “Banking on the Multiplier Effect: Using ‘AIED Unplugged’ to Support Basic Education Teachers in Under-resourced Contexts”
• John Paul C Vergara, PhD, “Navigating the Generative Artificial Intelligence Era: Charting the Course for Curricular Reform in Higher Education in the Philippines”

The fellowship will last for one year, according to Sen Villanueva, who also sponsored the resolution recognizing and commending the awardees of the UP PEJA Fellowship Awards.

The fellows, which also include professors from Georgetown University, Philippine Normal University, University of the Philippines, and Far Eastern University among others, will conduct research on the priority areas identified by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), a national commission tasked with assessing and evaluating the performance of the education sector in the Philippines, in an attempt to address and combat the country’s learning and education crisis.