Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella (second from right) and Mabolo National High School principal (second from left) thank Vivant Foundation, represented by its executive director Shem Garcia (right), for donating various science laboratory tools and equipment to the school. | Contributed Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines –Vivant Foundation Inc. (VFI) has turned over science laboratory equipment to two public schools in Mandaue City and one in Cebu City.
VFI, the corporate social responsibility arm of publicly listed company Vivant Corporation, donated one set of science laboratory equipment to Mandaue City Science High School, Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School (MCCNHS) and Mabolo National High School in Cebu City.
The foundation also shouldered the training of the science teachers of all three schools on the use of the donated equipment which are meant to improve the learning of chemistry, physics, biology, and robotics.
“Vivant is a company that is forward-looking and adaptable and we believe that improving STEM (science, education, engineering and mathematics) education will help our public schools produce graduates who will support our mission to provide solutions to a changing world,” VFI Executive Director Shem Jose Garcia said.
Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes (center) thanked Vivant Foundation, represented by its executive director Shem Garcia (fifth from right), for donating various science and laboratory tools and equipment to the Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School. Also present at the turnover ceremony last August 20 were MCCNHS principal Marilou Mabansag (second from right), Mandaue City Councilor Malcolm Sanchez (second from left), and Vivant’s Ramontito Garcia (sixth from right) and lawyer Jess Garcia (fourth from right). | Contributed Photo
During the turnover at MCCNHS, Garcia announced that VFI will also refurbish classrooms that are currently used for science classes into fully functioning STEM laboratories.
Meanwhile, Mabolo National High School principal Dr. Rosemarie Novabos said that teaching science effectively requires more than textbooks and classroom lectures. “The laboratory equipment can offer great opportunities to the students in learning science through hands-on experiences. The donation from Vivant will help the students become more competitive,” she said during the turnover last August 19.
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella and Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes thanked Vivant Foundation for the assistance to the schools and for helping improve the future of the youth in their areas. The two mayors were present during the separate turnovers at MCCNHS and Mabolo National High School.
Apart from donating science lab equipment and training teachers, VFI also supports the annual Regional Science and Technology Fair (RSTF) of the Department of Education. The corporate foundation picks an RSTF participant as recipient for its college scholarship, a program that it launched this year. | dcb