THE UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas Graduate School-Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics conducted its pilot training for teachers recently.

The institution started training for cultural mapping nationwide among teachers under the Education Department.

Familiarizing selected educators with the cultural-mapping method, identify different cultural resources in their local communities, and document narratives of heritage items for educational use and future reference by the department are the goals of the country-wide training program.

The program is in line with Education Secretary Leonor Briones’ 10-point plan, which emphasized the relevance of Philippine arts, culture, history, and heritage in basic education as a means of achieving self-sufficiency and inclusive growth.

Supervisors and teachers from 17 different locations of the country met online for a pre-orientation meeting, with each region represented by education program managers or alternates, as well as 12 nominated instructors.

The 15-day intensive online cultural-mapping course drew a total of 221 teachers.

The USTGS-CCCPET, Bureau of Learning Delivery, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Arts Education Department collaborated on the statewide cultural mapping training.