MMSU, BNHS ink deal to enhance students’ journalistic, reading skills

Communication and language faculty members of the Mariano Marcos State University – College of Arts and Sciences are committed to assisting Batac National High School in enhancing its students’ journalistic and reading skills. Through the signing of a memorandum of understanding and two memoranda of agreement on November 23 at the CAS – Audiovisual Room, the two institutions agreed to implement two extension projects at BNHS.

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Academic Affairs Prima Fe R. Franco, having represented MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis, and BNHS Senior High School Coordinator Jerville Jake M. Cabansag, having represented BNHS School Principal Connie Marie Angelie Mae Balignasay, led the ceremonial signing to jumpstart the implementation of the Project COMMunity+ and Project READy toward Literacy.

On one hand, Project Community+ is geared at ‘cultivating and sustaining conscientious campus journalism toward social participation’ at BNHS.

Mr. John Vincent Toribio, project leader, said the activity “shall not only enable the school writers and broadcasters to win in press conferences, but, more important, to uphold sociallyrelevant reportage through their print and online media platforms.”

On the other hand, the READy toward Literacy project targets to facilitate a reading intervention program for BNHS learners.

Ms. Clarizza Joy B. Tumenes, project leader, explained, “the program shall promote the students from their current levels of reading abilities through a series of training-workshops and other activities.”

The ceremonial memoranda signing was graced by DLL chairperson Dexter A. Adriatico, CAS secretary Editha B. Valdez, CAS extension coordinator Marlyn S. Cacatian, DLL extension focal person Richard S. Agbayani, BNHS journalism coordinator Whellalyn G. Duldulao and reading coordinator Yoradyl Mae J. Patoc. They were joined by other DLL and BNHS faculty members.

MMSU Vice President for Academic Affairs Prima Fe R. Franco congratulated the Department of Languages and Literature for initiating relevant extension projects, further challenging the faculty “to widen the scope of the projects in the future by conducting the same in other schools in the province.”

The MMSU-BNHS partnership started last year when the communication extension core team, including Toribio, Ms. Karla Auria S. Galeon, Mr. Bryan R. Realgo, and Mr. Brett Rikke S. Bungcayao, responded to BNHS’ request for a journalism training. This allowed for the determination of the school’s actual needs and challenges, thus, the two resultant projects.