UST Simbahayan Community Development Officer Abegail Martha S. Abelardo, presented her paper titled “Mediations and Social Consequences of a Distance Education Program among Aytas of Bamban, Tarlac” during the First Bantula: International Conference on Culture-based Education in the Context of ASEAN Integration held at the La Consolacion University of the Philippines – Malolos City, Bulacan from December 1 to 3, 2017.
Abelardo’s paper discussed the social impact of mediations and social
consequences on the Ayta learners of the University of Santo Tomas Distance Education Program (UST DEP). It likewise investigated how the program served as an instrument in the transformation of its learners’ literacy practices. It also revealed the mediating factors which influenced their learning processes.
The interconnection between the components of the UST Distance Education Program was also discussed.
The Bantula conference provided a venue for stakeholders in cultural education – institutional leaders and policymakers, academics, artists,
and cultural workers, local government officials, culture bearers and cultural advocates, students, community leaders, and organizers to present
and discuss the rules and challenges of culturebased education. Cultural Education as catalyst for regional cooperation, facilitate socio-cultural mobility by promoting partnership – respect and understanding – among members of ASEAN Region, whose national lives and cultures are intertwined and interconnected through shared histories and common traditions. A responsive and relevant culture-based education ensures
the creation, promotion, and preservation of a peaceable environment conducive to productive collaboration, creative interaction, and meaningful cooperation
