Forty Years of Bringing Education to Life

Education and innovation have always gone hand in hand. The drive to constantly find ways to improve teaching and learning for all is what fuels the exploration of new frontiers.

For educational resource publisher Diwa Learning Systems Inc (Diwa), innovation is interwoven into the fabric of their mission to upgrade the quality of Philippine education. As a leading provider of print and digital K-to-12 learning resources, Diwa works rigorously to develop solutions that address the needs of learners, educators, and schools in the country, believing that education is the key to a better nation.

Innovation in education

Diwa was founded in 1983 with the introduction of science magazine Bato Balani for Science and Technology. Its success would birth a line of Supplemental Educational Magazines (SEMs) for all core subject areas, as well as an expansion into the development of Diwa Textbooks, the first batch of which was a collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology and the UK-based Macmillan Publishers.

With the eventual boom of technology and the internet came the inspiration for Diwa to push education into the digital space. To make SEMs and Diwa Textbooks responsive to the needs of the emerging generation of learners who are digital natives, Diwa integrated digital components that will augment students’ learning experience. Diwa also pioneered the introduction of the country’s first and fully integrated learning management system, Genyo e-Learning. In 2017, Diwa expanded its line-up of digital education solutions with the launch of Checkbox, a gamified online assessment portal that helps develop mastery in core subjects.

Now, Diwa Textbooks and SEMs come in print, digital, and interactive digital formats from Preschool to Senior High School.

This well-rounded and diverse portfolio of learning resources has helped hundreds of Philippine schools navigate the ever-changing education sphere over the years. When the COVID-19 pandemic caused a massive shift in learning modalities in 2020, Diwa immediately assembled its product offerings into a comprehensive suite called Diwa 5G that was adaptable to any type of learning delivery, whether it be online distance learning, face-to-face, or hybrid.

In fact, Diwa’s swift response to curriculum changes remains one of its strong points. From the introduction of the K-to-12 curriculum in 2012 to the recent launch of the new MATATAG curriculum, the education publisher has been prompt in developing learning solutions that are not only aligned with the minimum standards required by the Department of Education, but are also helpful guides for stakeholders in transitioning to every new curriculum shift.

Giving education the attention it deserves

The teaching and learning experience, however, does not begin and end on learning materials alone. Students, teachers, and schools should also be supported with programs that can elevate their skills and empower them to become innovators themselves.

In 1991, Diwa introduced How to Be a Highly Effective Teacher (HTBHET), a seminar series for educators done in partnership with Bato Balani Foundation Inc. With the goal of making teacher training more accessible to as many Filipino educators as possible, the program has been helping teachers understand relevant and timely topics, as well as guiding them on the use of new learning resources, concepts, and education technology over the years.

Under the banner of HTBHET came many different training programs, seminars, and workshops for teachers and school administrators alike. Diwa introduced Superior Learning for School Leaders (SL2), an exclusive learning tour for school leaders, in 2010. 2017 saw the launch of Diwa Innovators’ Congress, a seminar series that brings educators up-to-date with the latest education news, strategies, and innovations, even bringing about the Philippines’ first-ever large-scale standing congress called Stand for Innovation. And to help teachers in their pursuit of excellence, Diwa started working with FAITH Colleges and the Professional Regulations Commission in 2017 to allow their training and seminars to give Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit units to all educators who complete them.

As the education industry geared up for the return to face-to-face classes, Diwa also held its first hybrid event called Reinvent|ED: Teaching and Learning for the Evolving World to encourage school leaders to reimagine education in order to engage more meaningfully with the emerging generation of learners, educators, and parents.

At the turn of the 21st century, Diwa Pasiklaban sa Paaralan (Diwa Pasiklaban), the country’s first ICT-integrated traveling quiz show, was launched to elevate students’ learning experience and hone skills that will help them face the challenges of the 21st century. The same objective also brought about the introduction of Diwa Innovation Lab, a traveling pop-up science exposition that brings new technologies such as virtual reality and robotics within reach of students.

At the height of online distance learning in 2021, Diwa introduced Bato Balani Pinoy Scientist Live! Named after Diwa’s flagship Bato Balani for Science and Technology magazine, the virtual event gives students an opportunity to meet a real-life exceptional Filipino scientist to encourage their love and interest in the fields of science and technology. Pinoy Scientist Live has since featured renowned scientists like leading entomologist and spider expert Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo, PhD, and astrophysicist Reinabelle Reyes, PhD.

Most recently, Diwa brought the first-ever Kiwi Challenge to the Philippines as part of its 40th-year celebration. This online business idea competition was made possible through the partnership of Education New Zealand (ENZ), a government agency that promotes New Zealand as a study destination for international students, and Lincoln University, a highly recognized tertiary education institution in New Zealand with a Quacquarelli Symonds five-star rating. Participating students were tasked to develop an innovative agribusiness idea that will contribute to the attainment of the country’s food security objectives and promote sustainable economic activities in the cultivation of plants and livestock.

These programs have seen overwhelming participation and have been met with enthusiastic responses from stakeholders. During its run, Diwa Pasiklaban has been to more than 500 locations and around 5,000 schools in the country, and has attracted the participation of more than 12,000 students. And to date, HTBHET has trained more than 400,000 teachers from all over the Philippines since it started.

Moving the nation forward through education

This keen attention to providing an end-to-end experience has earned Diwa strong and loyal partnerships in its four-decade history. Partner schools are provided not only with rich curriculum-based resources but also orientations and training programs facilitated by Diwa’s vast network of learning specialists and subject area experts.

When the pandemic caused an overhaul of the education system, schools that had prior years of experience in using Diwa’s Genyo e-Learning, in particular, gave them an advantage in their preparation for the shifts in learning modality. The pandemic even ushered in new partner institutions from the United Arab Emirates, proving that solid and life-long partnerships can transcend borders.

“There may have been a lot of changes in education in the past years, but what has not changed is Diwa’s commitment towards creating rich and meaningful teaching and learning experiences for our partners,” says Diwa’s President Ms. Elma L. Ropeta. “Even as we face an ever-transforming education landscape, we remain dedicated to supporting Philippine schools no matter the circumstance.”

Diwa has also formed meaningful collaborations with other Philippine education institutions. Since 2021, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) has partnered with Diwa for its annual Catholic School Heroes Award. And just recently, Diwa cemented a three-year partnership with the Manila Ecclesiastical Province School Systems Association, Inc (MaPSA) for the Sedes Sapientiae Awards. Both of these recognitions aim to honor outstanding educators in the Philippines, a tradition that has always been present in Diwa’s long history.

Forging lasting partnerships is part of Diwa’s ways to strengthen Philippine education, believing that working together to uplift teaching and learning for all is essential to nation-building. And along with education’s significant role in shaping the nation comes being able to help young bright minds become future leaders.

Since 2013, Diwa has been sponsoring scholarships for BS Education students in FAITH Colleges in Tanauan, Batangas, first under the Diwa-CEAP 30&75 Scholarship Program in partnership with CEAP, then under the Diwa Leaders in Education Scholarship Program during Diwa’s 35th year, and now under the newly launched Diwa 40 Education Scholarship, a milestone program for Diwa’s 40-year anniversary.

The mission of each scholarship program is to give deserving students a chance to fulfill their dream to become educators, and eventually become future leaders of Philippine education.

All three batches of scholars from the Diwa-CEAP 30&75 Scholarship Program have graduated, with most of them working as educators in different parts of the country. Meanwhile, the Diwa Leaders in Education Scholarship Program ushered in scholars for four consecutive school years starting S.Y. 2018-2019. The first batch of scholars, which graduated in June 2022, produced five Latin honorees. To date, 24 scholars under this program are currently enrolled in FAITH Colleges, with 18 scholars having just completed their degree in Education this year.

The new Diwa 40 Education Scholarship program aims to help mold a new generation of potential teachers to be catalysts for change and innovators in education. Forty (40) incoming college students will be given a full Bachelor’s Degree in Education scholarship at FAITH Colleges, which includes coverage for their tuition, registration, miscellaneous, and dormitory fees. The scholarship grant will span four (4) school years beginning SY 2023-2024 to produce four (4) batches comprising twelve (12) scholars each for batches 2027 and 2028, and eight (8) scholars each for batches 2029 and 2030.

“The whole point of education is to shape the future of the nation,” shares Diwa’s Chairman Mr. Brian Vincent L. Belen, PhD. “As we turn 40 in 2023, we affirm our commitment to the vision and mission that brought us to where we are right now. We will work harder to always be at the leading edge of the publishing industry—to never ever lose the innovation mindset.”

Through its dedication to creating rich teaching and learning experiences, Diwa has helped Philippine education reach newer heights, creating advocates of innovation nationwide. Now in its 40th year, Diwa continues to seek more opportunities to upgrade the status of teachers in our society, help learners take active participation in nation-building, and amplify the power of schools to change lives.

Together with students, teachers, schools, and education institutions all over the country, Diwa is committed to bringing education to life for decades to come.