Essay on Education Beyond Borders

1. WENEFREDO S. HIFARVA JR
PhD
Education Across Borders
“What Education Beyond Borders Mean To Me As An Educator?”
When I walkthrough this subject and reading some related modules in Lms,I highly
appreciated that I can relate my past experience is a part on what education is beyond
borders as an educator nor community organizer before. As I narrated below..
I remember working as a community organizer in 2006 in Davao Medical School Foundation-
Institute of Primary Health Care in Bajada Davao City. It is one of the NGO’s promote
education about Reproductive Health (RH) in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat a remote area in Muslim
community. NGOs advocate to promote education in the most deprived areas in a far-flung
area. We partner with local communities to enhance their skills, and knowledge about the
government program. We also foster cross-cultural exchange and dialogue among
communities from different parts of the barangay. My experiences during this time as an
educator through as a Community organizer were terrible and complicated. The area is a
Muslim community where I promote and conduct classes along the purok or any payag”
about reproductive health. Their language is a huge barrier between us. Together with their
culture that makes me unknown at that time. A gap that I need to handle carefully in order
to build good rapport relationship with them. Life must go on, still continue my journey
every day until those barriers become smaller. I conducted meetings, and classes and
disseminated the good news of family planning through reproductive health.
Another experience is when I employed in DepEd Davao City and assigned in far flung area
in Paquibato district. My experience in ALS- Alternative Learning System in Division of Davao
City is one of my best accomplishments. Since I’ve been 3 years, I really felt how hard it is
as an ALS implementer of the Deped program in the field. The community is totally composed
of ATA Tribe. Different race, language, beliefs, culture and lifestyle. Another adjustment on
my side to connect them smoothly. I’ll show them that they are belong and prioritized by
government programs. These factors are one of the barriers between us that I need to
surpass. Here comes a time of pandemic, Alternative Learning System in Philippines provides
flexible and accessible learning opportunities for out-of-school youths, dropouts, working
adults, and other marginalized learners.
ALS is part of the Philippine education system but does not require daily attendance
compared in regular classrooms. Instead, it uses various modes of delivery such as modular,
online, radio, and television-based instruction. It aims to help learners especially out-of-
school youth to acquire basic literacy skills, life skills, and equivalency certificates that can
enable them to enroll in Senior High School or find a job. On the other hand, ALS also faces
gaps and challenges such as low participation and completion rates (sa bisaya pa Lulubog
lilitaw mga studyante) lack of support from barangay support, inadequate funding, and
limited recognition and accreditation. ALS needs to be grounded on a deeper understanding
of distance education and be sensitive to the needs and contexts of its learners. It also needs
Institute of Advanced Studies
DAVAO DEL NORTE STATE COLLEGE

2. to strengthen its collaboration with other stakeholders, local government units, civil society
organizations, and private sector partners.
Education is a right for everyone, but it is also a complex and contested issues. One of the
challenges that educators face is how to deal with the borders of education, the boundaries
and intersections between different disciplines, cultures, languages, identities, and values.
As an educator, let me quote, education beyond borders is a concept that refers to the idea
of expanding access and quality of education for all people, regardless of our geographical,
cultural, or socio-economic barriers. It also implies a global perspective and collaboration
among educators and learners from different countries and backgrounds.
Education beyond borders in our country means that we can access quality education from
anywhere in the world, regardless of their location, background, or income. We Filipinos are
known for our resilience and adaptability in different contexts and cultures. One of the ways
that we demonstrate this is by engaging borders in education, both literally and figuratively.
Literally speaking, many of as Filipinos go abroad and regional borders within the country to
pursue higher education or professional development. We seek to expand our knowledge and
skills, as well as to contribute to the global community of scholars and practitioners. In
addition, we are also engage borders in education by challenging the dominant paradigms
and discourses that may not reflect our realities and aspirations. We explore alternative
perspectives and approaches that are more responsive and relevant to our local contexts and
cultures. We also strive to create spaces for dialogue and collaboration with other
stakeholders, such as indigenous communities, civil society groups.
Another example of education beyond borders based on my observation is the use of
technology and online platforms to facilitate learning and teaching synchronous and
asynchronously. As I said while ago, we use the mode of online classes that can be accessed
by students anytime and anywhere. DepEd also provides websites also provide free
educational resources or tools that can help learners and educators improve their skills and
knowledge. Education beyond borders is important for global competitiveness, as it can help
prepare our learners and educators for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
It can also foster intercultural understanding, respect, and cooperation among people from
different backgrounds and perspectives. It aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality
education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. All in Lahat sa ALS.
In todays globalized world, where people from diverse backgrounds and cultures interact and
collaborate, education beyond borders is essential for fostering mutual respect, empathy and
cooperation. Education beyond borders in school also can take many forms, such as exchange
programs, online courses, multicultural curricula, guest speakers, field trips and
extracurricular activities. These opportunities can expose students to new ideas, languages,
cultures and experiences, and help them to develop critical thinking, communication and
intercultural skills. Education beyond borders in school can also inspire students to pursue
further education or careers in international fields and to become active and responsible
global citizens. Both students and educators even our in high ranking officials in government.