UPOU Hosts Benchmarking Activity for Taytay, Rizal’s SMILE I.T. Lab Section

UP Open University (UPOU) welcomed the SMILE I.T. Lab Section of the Municipality Government of Taytay, Rizal on 21 May 2024 at the UPOU Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna. The SMILE I.T. Lab Team requested the visit to benchmark on UPOU’s online course offerings and explore how they can collaborate with UPOU to be able to help fulfill their mandate of providing needs-responsive, accessible,and quality education to every sector in Taytay, Rizal.

Video presentations about UPOU’s programs, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Open Educational Resources (OERs) to brief the visitors about the university. SMILE I.T. Lab then shared about the purpose of their institution. They shared about their Tech4Ed program and how they “aim to foster universal access to quality education by leveraging ICT and innovative methods that are crafted to promote lifelong learning anchored in education, civic participation, and sustainable development.”

Dr. Myra C. Almodiel, Director of UPOU Office of Public Affairs (OPA), Dr. Ricardo T. Bagarinao, Director of UPOU Center for Open and Digital Teaching and Learning (CODTL), and Ms. Margaret Jarmin-Suarez, Linkages Officer then engaged in a discussion with Mr. Enrico A. Marquez, Section Manager and Ms. Pretty Cañamales, Section Asst. Manager about initiatives that both parties can collaborate in. Mr. Marquez shared that with UPOU’s help, they intend to revive the Tech4Ed Project, implement initiatives that are aligned with their local government capacity development programs, and to also bring the UPOU programs in the locality of Taytay.

This initiative is part of UPOU’s mandate under the “Open Distance Learning Law” (RA 10650), and is aligned with Sustainable Development Goals No. 4 (Quality Education) and No. 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). UPOU fosters collaboration between organizations to provide accessible, high-quality education, promoting shared progress in the educational landscape.

Written by Anna Cañas-Llamas and Marinela Hernandez ♦ Edited by Dr. Myra C. Almodiel ♦ Photo by Anna Mhari Duria

Sustainable Development Goals

#UPOpenUniversity

UP Open University (UPOU)

17 hours ago

The 7th AAWS Congress opened with compelling plenary sessions that framed key conversations on empowerment, inclusion, and women’s scholarship.Plenary 1, “Revisioning Gender/Women’s Studies in the Post-Pandemic World: Work for Empowerment,” was delivered by Assoc. Prof. Finaflor F. Taylan, Dean of UPOU FMDS and President of AAWS. Dr. Taylan discussed how crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic deepened gender inequalities—particularly in sectors with high female participation—and intensified unpaid care work. She emphasized the need to integrate crisis-related realities, including gendered vulnerabilities, labor shifts, and digital divides, into Gender/Women’s Studies teaching and research, and called for stronger advocacy toward gender-responsive recovery and structural transformation. The session concluded with an engaging Q&A moderated by Asst. Prof. Lorena Jean Saludadez.The second plenary, “Emerging Issues in Diversity, Multiculturalism, and Democracy in Asia: The Role of Advocates,” was presented by Dr. Aileen Park, Associate Professor at Philippine Normal University Mindanao and AAWS Council Member. Drawing from migration-related experiences in the United States, Korea, and Australia, Dr. Park explored discriminatory practices and highlighted the importance of a multivoiced academic mindset rooted in cultural sensitivity, self-awareness, and social responsibility. The session was moderated by Asst. Prof. Maria Lourdes Jarabe, Director of UPOU’s Office of Gender Concerns.Several Parallel Presentation Sessions were also held in the afternoon, featuring research topics on Evolution of Women and Gender Studies Across Asia; Gender, Social Inclusion and Women Empowerment in ASEAN; Women’s Struggles and Democracy in Asia; Gender and Development: ASEAN’s Performance on the SDGs; Gender, Social Inclusion and Women Empowerment in ASEAN; and it also included a Colloquium where UPOU undergraduate and graduate students present their research studies.#AAWSCongress2025 #EmpowerSustainDemocratize #AsianWomenInFocus #SDG5GenderEquality #UPOU ... See MoreSee Less

View on Facebook