Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2018/02/17/spending-stem-education-589353
IN keeping with their aim to improve science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, Vivant Foundation granted the 12 winning schools in the Department of Education’s Regional Science and Technology Fair (RSTF) science and classroom equipment. Vivant Foundation executive director Shem Jose Garcia believes that supporting STEM education is a way to make the country prosper. Garcia explained that since he learned how the country lags behind its Asian neighbors in terms of innovation and technology education, technology, the foundation aims to help prepare students for the future, saying, “It is an investment for the future workforce.” Garcia added that since the company is an energy company, their focused attention to STEM makes it a perfect fit, investing in equipment for students to “do what they learn.” With Vivant annually sponsoring the RSTF, the foundation hopes to find scholars. He added that it is at science and technology fairs that a learner’s true potential is realized through application. Dubbing the foundation as God-sent, Sylvio Sabino, the education program supervisor, thanked the foundation for its generosity. The first placers in the school team division won P25,000 each. However two schools, City of Bogo Science and Arts Academy and Ramon Teves Pastor Memorial-Dumaguete Science High School from Negros Oriental, received P50,000, as both won first place in two categories. All individual winners- the first, second, and third placers, also received cash prizes from Vivant. Bobbie Lavador, school head of the Elpido H. Perez MTVHS, who spoke in behalf of the winning schools of the RSTF, expressed how schools planning to compete for the next science fair would truly up their game. The equipment given were based on the wish lists the winners had; these items were science laboratory equipment, robotics equipment, and teaching tools like TV, projector and projector screens, this was according to an e-mail given by Vivant. (Tessa Frances T. Aguilar, USJ-R Intern)
Published in the SunStar Cebu newspaper on February 17, 2018.
