The Graduate Diploma in Cultural Education (GDCE) Mimaropa is set to commence by Sept 17 after some delays due to calibration and amendments to the program of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
The Marinduque State College (MSC) has set into motion the process of accreditation, liquidation and the approval of the next batch of the regional GDCE since June.
The qualifying exam was undertaken last June 22 and results were already ascertained by August 3. There are at least 40 qualified teacher-applicants from Mimaropa and other neighboring divisions in the National Capital region, Calabarzon and Bicol.
An orientation program is slated by Monday, Sept 12 and the online enrollment is from Sept 14-16 to give way to the annual commemoration of the Battle of Pulang Lupa on September 13 in Torrijos, Marinduque.
The first CulEd 200- Foundation and Pedagogy of Cultural Education course was set to start last Sept 3 but would continue by Sept 17. The other GDCE level 1 courses would proceed as schedule: CuLEd 201- Review of Philippine History and Heritage by October 1 to 23; CulEd 202 – Cultural Diversity and Languages of the Philippines is going to take place in October 29 to November 28; and CulEd 203 – Philippine Arts on November 26 to December 18.
Taking the helm of CulEd 200 is Mam Ruby Ann Lantita, the MSC Culture and Arts head and batch 1 teacher-scholar while the public historian Prof. Xiao Chua of Dela Salle University Manila would be coming back for CulEd 201 along with Dr. Mary Bulaong for CulEd 202, the dean of College of Arts and Letters of the Bulacan State University. Meanwhile, Sir Melandro Pascual, the artistic director of the Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation Inc.
GDCE is a post-baccalaureate course, 24 unit with 8 subjects two-semester long with the endowment from NCCA to the MSC as a conduit institution in Mimaropa. MSC is celebrating its platinum anniversary this year. This year marks the third iteration of the cultural education program in the region.
