The UST College of Education holds the inaugural Nenita D. Caralipio Memorial Lecture, in honor of the late principal of the UST Grade School and Education High School, on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at the Albertus Magnus Auditorium. (Photo by Jeremy R. Edera/ The Varsitarian)

THE UST College of Education mounted the first-ever Nenita D. Caralipio Memorial Lecture on Oct. 16 at the Albertus Magnus Auditorium, paying tribute to the longtime UST Grade School principal and educator.

Originally an honorary lecture, the event was transformed into a memorial lecture following Caralipio’s passing on Sept. 15 at the age of 85. 

Caralipio was the last principal of the now-defunct UST Grade School and served as principal of the UST Education High School before retiring as a faculty member of the College of Education.

Assoc. Prof. Carmina Vicente, former chairperson of the UST Department of Elementary Education, emphasized the importance of preserving Caralipio’s legacy as a “pillar of education” at UST.

“The idea of an annual lecture in her memory is not only to remember her legacy on a specific day, but also to get inspired and to engage in activities, research, and practice of her values in education and teaching,” Vicente said. 

“This is to keep her legacy alive and conserve it for the future generation,” she added. “ This memorial lecture commemorates the life, the vast and significant contributions to teaching, learning, and to the education of young learners that our dear Ma’am Caralipio has generously shared with all of us.”

RELATED: Longtime UST Grade School principal Nenita Caralipio dies at 85 

Caralipio’s family received a token of appreciation from the College of Education.

Education Dean Pilar Romero underscored the significance of nurturing the “seeds” of learning among students. 

“We nurture the seeds so that eventually these seeds will fructify, and this is very much aligned with our Dominican and Thomasian spirituality. St. Dominic said, ‘Seeds that are kept rot, but seeds that are sown fructify,’” Romero said in her opening remarks. 

“I’m sure our academic staff have once upon a time also become like soil where seeds were planted by Ma’am Caralipio and all our mentors,” she added.

Reading for holistic development

In her keynote lecture, Felicitas Pado, head consultant of the “Basa Pilipinas” education project, emphasized the critical role of reading in the holistic development of young learners.

Teaching reading should be paired with a genuine love for the activity to motivate students to read more.

“Teaching them how to read without developing their love for reading just becomes a mechanical activity for them. But when we start with teaching them to love reading, then it is easier to teach them how to read,” she said. 

Reading can also serve as a foundation for values development, according to Pado. 

“The story [can be used] as a springboard for values development,” she said. “Strive for their holistic development to produce learners who are successful in their studies.”

The lecture featured discussions on inclusive education with panelists Asst. Prof. Josephine Jamero of the University of the Philippines Diliman and Ana Pangilinan of Southville 8 Elementary School in Rizal. 

In 2019, the College of Education launched the Nenita Caralipio Honorary Lecture, an annual forum featuring various educators held during the founding anniversary of the college. Sydney Venice V. Berba

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