DepEd partners with Meralco for public school dev’t

The public school system received a much-needed boost as the Department of Education entered into a partnership with the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and the Meralco Millennium Foundation Inc. (MMFI) for the improvement of public school education.

Under the memorandum of agreement signed by Education Secretary Edilberto de Jesus, Meralco chairman and CEO Manuel Lopez and MMFI president Jesus Francisco, Meralco, through MMFI, will support DepEd’s Adopt-a-School Program by expanding the company’s various efforts toward better education.

The Adopt-a-School Program was designed to encourage cooperative undertakings between the government and private organizations in developing the country’s public schools.

"We are honored to be partnering with the Department of Education in helping develop public school education by improving school facilities and empowering educators. It has been Meralco’s long-time commitment to support educational programs and this new partnership signals our deeper involvement for many more years to come," Lopez said.

Meralco has been granting scholarships and donations to schools as part of its corporate social responsibility programs. In 2001, Meralco launched its Teacher Education Project, a 48-hour course with modules in basic computer literacy, concepts of "5s" or organized cleanliness and multiple intelligence.

Close to 400 teachers from seven public schools in Metro Manila have successfully completed the project.

The company’s book donation project "Libro Ko, Alay Ko" has also benefited more than 2,600 students from six public schools with donations of 2,963 books, encyclopedia and other educational materials as well as school supplies.

Last Christmas, Meralco embarked on a company-wide outreach dubbed "Lingap Kapwa sa Kapaskuhan 2003," involving all 5,800 of the company’s workforce.

Thirty-seven public schools within Meralco’s franchise area were identified for which employee-volunteers built and repaired classrooms and other school facilities, and donated books, desks and chairs, music and sports equipment and other school supplies.

Close to half of Meralco’s total employee population has been mobilized as volunteers for various projects, with total volunteer man hours of 167,593 and a computed economic value of P3.6 million. The company itself has spent P6.1 million for a total of 11 projects in the past three years.