A
Philippine organization is posed to spearhead the establishment of an (ASEAN)
Association for Giftedness to leverage economic growth through human capital
development.
Non-profit group Philippine Center for Gifted Education Inc. (PCGE), led by Dr. Leticia
Ho, is working towards creating standards for ASEAN member countries to ensure robust
criteria for identification, development and nurturing of gifted children.
“While the
ASEAN integration aims to unite the ten member countries into one economic,
multi-cultural community, development of its human capital is definitely a
vital component,” says Dr. Ho.
The ASEAN
Association for Giftedness will provide a platform for regular meetings, joint
researches, exchange programs and other innovations in gifted education that
can help boost economies, including the Philippines’.
“Modern
growth theory has explained the vital contribution of human capital development
in a country’s economic growth. Improvements are closely related to the level
of cognitive skills of the population. This emphasizes the need to identify,
develop and nurture gifted talents for the benefit of the country,” adds
Dr. Ho.
An ASEAN
Summit on Giftedness sponsored by PCGE is scheduled in October. Dr. Ho hopes
that this will stir interest and encourage parents, teachers, psychologists,
guidance counselors and the gifted themselves to converse and exchange ideas
about how to leverage on excellence for growth.
The summit
will feature global expert Françoys Gagné, Ph. D. and his
Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent. Professor Gagné, supported by
Promil Pre-School, will share his belief in the need for natural abilities to
be nurtured in order for one to excel.
With its
long-standing thrust of encouraging excellence, Promil Pre-School has always
worked hand-in-hand with parents’ support and proper care through the right
learning environment to nurture gifts into exceptional talents that can benefit
a larger community.
Promil
Pre-School's proven heritage of success is backed up by its long list of
exceptionally talented children who have brought fame, encouragement, and
positive influence to their communities and the country in one way or another.
“Nurturing
the gifted is not limited to ensuring that their gifts and talents are properly
addressed through education, training, cognitive stimulation and
other programs. Part of their nurture is to infuse values of maka-Diyos,
makabayan, makatao (being God-fearing, patriotism, compassion). In this
manner, the gifted themselves become gifts to others,” says Dr. Ho.
“The vital
link between the gift of generations of Filipinos and the country’s success is
something that we recognize and value,” says Dian Yu, product manager, Promil
Pre-School. “As a long-term advocate in encouraging children to reach their
full potential, Promil Pre-School will continually support efforts that allow
for exceptional talents to turn into outstanding achievements for our nation.”
According
to the Department of Education (DepEd), there are 1.27 million gifted children
in the country (2010 data) who may be in possession of exceptional abilities
that, unfortunately, aren’t fully developed for lack of proper guidance and
support.
About Wyeth Nutrition
Wyeth Nutrition, formerly Pfizer Nutrition,
is part of Nestlé S.A. Wyeth Nutrition
develops premium-quality nutritional products scientifically designed to meet
the needs of infants and young children, as well as pregnant and lactating
mothers. As pioneers in infant nutritional science, our mission is to provide
the best nutritional support for future healthy outcomes. For nearly a century,
Wyeth Nutrition has leveraged clinical rigor, scientific research, world-class
manufacturing and product safety standards to drive scientifically sound
solutions that offer parents confidence, help nourish children and support
their healthy futures.
