For Donna Panes, education is a powerful tool that can transform lives and communities, especially young people, and particularly, girls. “Education allows them to make informed choices about their lives and to become leaders in their communities. By providing them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to succeed, education can help to break the cycle of poverty, improve health and well-being, promote social and cultural change, and support sustainable development,” she said.

As the Chief of the Curriculum Implementation Division in DepEd Sarangani, Ms. Panes focuses on the implementation of the national curriculum standards and frameworks across all levels of education, from kindergarten to Senior High School. Their organization has partnered with @Smart Communications, Inc to implement the CVIF-Dynamic Learning Program, which includes the development of Learning Activity Sheets.

In 2016, the Learning Activity Sheets that they developed with Smart were designed to align with Indigenous People’s Education (IPEd), Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE), and mother-tongue based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) programs in 10 pilot schools. Together with Smart, they also developed mobile apps for learning Blaan called Gnaré, and another for the Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education called Ta'allam to help promote the use of technology in education. Smart also deployed School-in-a-Bag which benefitted several schools in the province.

As an educator and a woman leader in the community, Ms. Panes shared that she has been provided a unique opportunity to promote gender equality, inclusivity, and diversity, to inspire and empower women and girls through education, and to create curriculum materials and educational programs that challenge gender stereotypes.

“In many communities, girls face significant barriers to education, including cultural attitudes, economic challenges, and gender-based discrimination. By investing in the education of girls, we can help to overcome these barriers and promote gender equality, creating a more inclusive and just society,” she said.

A testament to her role in documenting and promoting the indigenous knowledge systems and practices of the community to preserve the rich cultural heritage and incorporate them to educational programs, she has been given the title of Bai To Tamdo de Banwe Sarangani or Princess of Education in Sarangani by the Blaan cultural community.