Educators for others: Ateneo de Manila brings together generations of education alumni for a homecoming

Ateneo de Manila University’s Education Department has offered a master’s degree program for over 70 years and has produced generations of educators who have since then gone on to serve as teachers, school administrators, and education leaders all over the country. However, never before has it gathered its graduates in one event. 

Finally, last Saturday, 19 October 2024, after months of preparation, Ateneo de Manila brought together the alumni of the old Department of Education along with the more recent graduates of the three-year-old Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design. The long-overdue homecoming could not have been held at a more opportune time. First of all, the Education Department, which used to be under the School of Social Sciences (SOSS), has evolved into the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design, approved by the university’s Board of Trustees, on 1 May 2021 during the pandemic.

Another reason the time was just right for such a gathering was that we had just commemorated the 50th anniversary of Pedro Arrupe’s speech in Spain in 1973, when he issued to alumni of Jesuit schools everywhere a call to service, coining the term “men for others.” For this reason, the gathering was aptly called “Educators for Others.”

Hence, on the morning of the 19th, the Loft of the Arete Complex teemed with Ateneo’s education alumni to reflect on the current challenges facing Philippine Education and to discuss how we could collectively drive meaningful change as educators and leaders. The morning was hosted by the Office of the AVP for Social and Environment Engagement for Development and Sustainability (SEEDS) in partnership with the Ateneo Center for Educational Development (ACED) and the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (GBSEALD).

After a beautiful prayer reminding all those present that “we educate for a future not our own,” the program was formally opened by AVP-SEEDS Dr Leland dela Cruz to welcome the alumni. The first speaker was Ateneo de Manila University President, Fr Roberto Yap SJ, who focused on two contemporary challenges facing Jesuit education—namely, the rise of GenAI technology and climate change—and invited those present to anchor any response to both on the four Jesuit values of utilitas (practical skills), justitia (social), humanitas (humanistic) and fides (religious).

Afterward, ACED Director, Dr Mel Oracion, who had prepared a presentation in cooperation with Dr Cynthia Bautista, unpacked the EDCOM2 Year End Report for all those present, explaining precisely the kind of “miseducation of the Filipino” that constituted the Philippine educational crisis. Those present could not help but feel overwhelmed by the massive challenges in Philippine education. But the palpable sense of urgency was also bundled with an equally powerful sense of mission—that we were all called to respond and make our contribution to alleviating the educational crisis in the country.

In the afternoon, the alumni of the old Education Department mingled with the younger graduates of the three-year-old Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design for a reunion like no other. Over 60 alumni were present.

Dr Marlu Vilches, Vice President for Higher Education, opened the afternoon program. The first session in the afternoon was led by Fr Francis Alvarez, Department Chair of Catholic Education, Philosophy and Practice, who took the alumni on a nostalgic walk back in time (with giveaways too!) as they reminisced about their life as education students in Ateneo: the eateries on campus, the courses in their programs, and the professors in their classrooms. The Loft was filled with laughter as the responses revealed the intergenerational differences among the alumni. 

This light “looking back” session was followed by Dr Isabel Martin, Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Management, who consulted the alumni on how, given their experiences, GBSEALD can improve its current course offerings and ways of proceeding. Dr Martin emphasized GBSEALD’s desire and commitment to meet the needs of our students more effectively.  The alumni’s responses, collected through both a survey and the plenary discussion, not only demonstrated their continuing concern for Ateneo but also provided valuable insights and suggestions for the brand-new school.

Finally, Fr Johnny Go, SJ, the school’s Founding Dean, formally presented Ateneo de Manila’s newest school to the alumni, focusing on its mission of prioritizing and innovating education in the Philippines, as captured by its battle cry “Bago ang Lahat, Edukasyon!” 

After talking about GBSEALD’s newly launched and innovatively designed undergraduate and doctoral programs, Fr Go invited all those present to continue their involvement through an Ateneo education alumni network and movement, exhorting them to participate actively while at the same time, offering them opportunities for continued professional development and personal formation, such as GBSEALD’s Lighthouse Learning Series, a series of talks to be held once every semester to provide our alumni professional learning and personal growth. 

We would like to thank Fr Bobby Yap and Dr Mel Oracion (ACED) for their provocative inputs in the morning; Mr Leland dela Cruz, AVP for SEEDS, for hosting the event; and in particular, Ms Jeraldine Ching of GBSEALD’s Ignatian Initiative for Teacher Excellence (IGNITE) for leading the GBSEALD team in its effort to hold this one-of-a-kind homecoming for our education graduates.