Aboitiz education projects help over 400,000 students in 2017
The Aboitiz Group’s thrust to provide quality and accessible public education for the Filipino youth was manifested in the 441,840 students it assisted from all over the Philippines in 2017.
This figure accounted for 71% of the Aboitiz Group’s total beneficiaries. The number of beneficiaries the Aboitiz Group has assisted increased 34% from 329,963 in 2016.
In 2017, a total of 1,015 education-related projects were implemented by the Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate foundation of the Aboitiz Group, as well as by various companies in the industries of power, banking and financial services, food, infrastructure, land, and construction.
“The Aboitiz Foundation commits to continuously find better ways to help Filipino students to either study further, set up businesses, or be employed. We are proud of our accomplishments in education in 2017. These serve as our inspiration and our contribution to advance business and communities by co-creating safe, empowered, and sustainable ones,” Aboitiz Foundation First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Maribeth L. Marasigan said.
Career Clinic and Education Fair
Most prominent of these initiatives were the Career Clinic and Taguig Education Fair that were organized through the partnership of the Aboitiz Foundation and Edukasyon.ph, in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd). Over 700 Aboitiz Foundation high school scholars attended the Career Clinic, while 1,012 Grade 12 students attended the Taguig Education Fair.
These activities support DepEd’s K to 12 program and aim to provide additional knowledge that will help the students decide on their future career paths.
Representatives of Aboitiz business units and foundations with DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones during DepEd’s Appreciation Ceremony. The event recognized various for companies theirsupport for public schools nationwide through the Adopt-A-School Program.
“A key component of our initiatives’ success is the dynamic partnerships that we forge in the private and public sectors. We in the Aboitiz Group are proud to partner with DepEd in championing quality public education for the country’s next generation,” Marasigan noted.
Other Education Initiatives
The Aboitiz Group also focused on the development of special science elementary schools (SSES) and technical-vocational HS (tech-voc HS), having already supported 11 SSES and 37 tech-voc HS to date. Because of this support, these 11 SSES have managed to win 31 science research-related awards in regional and international contests, and 82% of graduates from these SSES have moved on to various science HS.
The Aboitiz Group continues to provide education support in the college-level through the Purposive College Scholarship Program, under which 293 scholars have graduated as of end-2017. Of this number, 93 scholars have graduated with Latin honors, while 31 have been employed by the Aboitiz Group. In 2017 alone, 61 scholars were able to graduate (22 with Latin honors), while two are currently employed under Aboitiz.
Finally, in terms of infrastructure, the Aboitiz Group as of 2017 has donated 2,435 “thin client” computer units, constructed 936 new classrooms nationwide, and rewired 5,431 existing classrooms, the latter of which are currently all fire-free.
