THE promotion of religious literacy to foster peace-building in the Philippines has received a big boost through a tie-up of the country’s top education agencies with the Face-to-Faith program of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Education Secretary Armin Luistro said the government’s partnership with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation (TBFF) aims to put teachers and students at the forefront of efforts to promote peace among young peoples of different faiths in areas with histories of religious conflict.
The tie-up was formalized through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education, on the one hand, and the TBFF, on the other. It was signed at The Peninsula Manila in Makati City. The ceremony was attended by CHED Commissioner Patricia Licuanan and a representative from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.
Luistro said the MOU would bring two of the TBFF’s leading education programs to Filipino schools and universities. The program is active in 16 countries.
Ateneo de Davao, Ateneo de Zamboanga, De La Salle Zobel, Xavier School and Mahatma Gandhi International School were among the six schools selected for the implementation of the program. They were selected for having the “technology” needed to connect with students in other countries. More schools will be added in the future.
The agreement aims to involve a consortium of Philippine universities to the foundation’s Faith and Globalization Initiative.
“Religion can claim responsibility for some of the most profoundly positive and important events and movements the world has ever known. Yet it has also been associated with some of the most heinous and horrible crimes against humanity. And nowhere is this complex relationship between religion and the world more apparent than in the Mindanao conflict in the Philippines,” Blair said.
“Our Face to Faith program will provide the next generation of Filipino leaders with the opportunity to learn essential communication skills while also gaining greater understanding of interfaith dialogue and the role of religion in the modern world,” he added.
Blair said religious literacy and an understanding of faith and globalization is an essential part of modern government.
Luistro thanked the foundation, which was launched in 2008 for the opportunity.
“Many social, ethnic and cultural conflicts are born out of mistrust which is fuelled by wrong or incomplete information or outright falsehood against a certain race, faith or ethnicity,” Luistro said.
Licuanan said the MOU would institutionalize efforts to build on the three functions of higher- education institutions in the Philippines, namely, teaching, research and extension or community service.
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By: Claudeth Mocon
Source: Business Mirror, Aug. 24, 2011
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