The HEAD Foundation, in partnership with University of Bristol (UoB), Ateneo de Manila University’s Ateneo Centre for Educational Development (ACED) and Security Bank Foundation (SBFI) SBFI continued their third year of collaboration to deliver the sixth run of Certificate in Education Studies in Leadership (CESL) programme in the Philippines. Held from May to August 2025, this year’s run was hosted at Ateneo De Manila University.
29 school leaders from the Philippines, showcased their Transformative Action Plans (TAPs) to address pressing issues in their schools. With mentoring guidance from the programme director, Dr Vicente Reyes from UoB and critical friends, participants are equipped with skills and competencies to create transformational impact to the local education system. Participants were also exposed to innovative learning practices in the Philippines through two industry visits to Airspeed Logistics and Megaworld Corporation’s Township Analytics and Technology (TAT) in May 2025.
Through evidence-informed planning, implementation and reflection, participants explored innovative approaches to address key issues they faced in their schools. Their tried-and-test TAPs aimed to increase students’ literacy, numeracy, learning engagement, health and nutrition outcomes and enhance positive social behaviour, provide better support for teachers’ professional development and health, and cultivate a culture of innovation and securing stronger buy-in from parents to sustain initiatives at home.
Watch the final showcase with participants presenting their TAP on 14 August.
The conference showcase on 14 August closed with a roundtable with critical friends (alumni from the 2019 and 2021 runs), Dr Julie Harvey from University of Glasgow, and representatives from the organising committee. The discussions highlighted the importance of sustaining and scaling up their transformative initiatives by empowering themselves and other changemakers and continuing the culture of innovation enabled by collaborative and courageous education leaders.
The face-to-face segment of CESL 2025 closed on 15 August, graced by the Philippine Department of Education Secretary Juan Edgargo ‘Sonny’ M. Angara and with closing remarks from SBFI Chairman Mr Rafael F. Simpao. Read more about DepEd’s national recognition of SBFI’s Mentoring Future Leaders for Nation-Building programme which includes CESL.
The HEAD Foundation would like to acknowledge and appreciate our partners and all participants in the past six runs of CESL (2018 – 2025) as we move towards a new chapter in empowering our education leaders in the Philippines to transform their community.
Read more about this year’s programme from the Philippine’s current Secretary of Education’s Facebook page.
