The Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF), the philanthropic arm of the Gokongwei Group and the largest private sector provider of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) scholarships in the country, has partnered with Khan Academy Philippines, a non-profit educational organization, to help bring global best practices to Filipino learners.
“Gokongwei Brothers Foundation in its 30 years of service, has had significant strides in improving access to quality education for both learners and educators. We see Khan Academy as an integral part of our plan to reach more learners to provide free quality education for all,” said Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng, GBF managing director.
Founded in the United States by financial analyst Sal Khan in 2008, Khan Academy aims to close learning gaps and ensure students master various subjects through personalized, interactive learning experiences. Its global education technology platform has been quickly adopted in different countries as an effective tool for learning.
Khan Academy Philippines, Khan Academy’s first international franchisee, aims to localize the platform’s content and lessons to align these with the Department of Education’s curriculum. According to Geraldine Acuña-Sunshine, CEO of Khan Academy Philippines, the organization is focused on introducing the online learning platform to a wider local audience and providing “21st-century skills” to Filipino students. “Our expansion plans are hinged on partnerships with schools and companies like the Gokongwei Group and the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation who share our vision of a better future through education,” said Acuña-Sunshine.
In August 2023, Khan Academy Philippines launched its pilot program for the 2023-2024 school year in 34 schools (30 public and four private) across nine cities, namely Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Manila, Marikina, Makati, Pasig, Pasay, Las Piñas, and Dumaguete City. It kicked off by training math teachers on how to use the platform as an effective teaching aid, and imparting strategies on Growth mindset, Mastery Learning, and Student Progress monitoring. The teachers then learned to create their own virtual Khan Academy classrooms and guide their students on how to navigate Grade 4 math lessons on the platform during their weekly Khan Academy schedule.
According to Khan Academy data, to have a positive learning impact, students must spend at least 18 hours per school year (about 30 minutes per week) of engaged, active learning on the platform.
To encourage use, participating schools employed various techniques such as allocating dedicated “Khan Academy time” in their schedules, offering dedicated WiFi, and providing one device per student at a time for a better learning experience. Parents also underwent orientation and were included in the process to ensure that they could support their children’s use of the platform.
The pilot program included 71 math teachers, 3,250 students, and 600 parents, and elicited positive feedback from participants. According to the teachers, the tool assisted them in developing lesson mastery, while students had fun doing the exercises. Parents, on the other hand, noted a rise in their children’s interest in learning math. Significantly, the Khan Academy team also saw a trend in increased skills mastery from students who used the platform consistently.
“When we started using Khan Academy, my workload lessened because there were videos and exercises that were readily available. My teaching became easier. I also noticed that my students were more excited and engaged with the lessons,” shared Cynthia Martin, a teacher at San Joaquin Elementary School in Pasig City.
For the incoming 2024-2025 school year, Khan Academy Philippines plans to expand to more schools across the country and to include more DepEd-aligned elementary math courses. The organization also plans to introduce its AI-powered teaching assistant, Khanmigo, and propose teacher certification courses for approval by the National Educators Academy of the Philippines.
The said efforts are geared towards Khan Academy Philippines’ goal of reaching 1 million learners by the end of 2026.
In his speech to celebrate the partnership between GBF and Khan Academy Philippines, GBF chairman Lance Gokongwei said, “The objective of making quality education accessible to all is one that the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation has always shared. GBF’s goal is to have a lasting impact on education, as part of our contribution to nation building.”
The partnership’s efforts to improve learning standards in the Philippines, Gokongwei later explained, are “another way the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation can give back to our nation’s learners through education.”
To learn more about the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, visit gokongweibrothersfoundation.org
