FLORA Criteria for Selection

Coverage of Programs and Achievements of Nominees:  March 2020 until June 2022

Scope:  Nonformal and Formal Education Innovations during the COVID-19 Crisis and Disruptions in Basic, Higher and/or Technical Education in 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th class municipalities in Luzon

The Filipina Achievers in Rural Education Award (FLORA) recognizes the outstanding contributions of Filipino women in rural education. Through FLORA, Multinational Foundation, Inc. (MFI) aims to emphasize the importance of effective and innovative approaches to bring quality education in rural communities.

Nomination documents will be evaluated according to the following criteria and their corresponding weights.

Educational Innovation (35%)

Access to quality education in rural communities is always limited during normal circumstances. It becomes even more constrained when a crisis situation strikes. The past two years, during which the whole world grappled with the Covid 19 pandemic have been extremely difficult, especially for those living in the peripheries. In addition to the pandemic, our country endured two powerful typhoons and a volcanic eruption that left much of the surrounding lands almost barren. Life was never the same again since then. Schooling and education suffered the most, and if not for innovations that opened up new possibilities for learning to continue, the consequences would have been dire and irreversible.

Evaluators seek women educators who developed learning materials or teaching approaches to ensure that learning never stopped even with the threat of Covid 19. These innovations must demonstrate:

• Creativity in their design and use. The innovations must be new or re-created with a fresh perspective of what and how teaching and learning ought to be during a crisis. They must be well-designed to entice and encourage genuine learning.
• Relevance and responsiveness to the prevailing needs, challenges, and circumstances of learners/schools/peers. The innovations must suit the conditions of the learners and appropriately address their learning needs even with the seemingly bleak future they face.
• Resourcefulness and adaptability in developing materials for teaching/learning. The innovations must provide timely and clever solutions in overcoming the difficulties of learning outside school. These can be flexibly utilized given the unpredictability of the situation.

Effectiveness and Learner Impact (35%)

The essence of good quality learning materials or teaching approaches lie in their effectiveness and impact on the learners. Some materials or approaches may be sound but eventually fail to effect real learning. Others may be beautifully crafted but may not inspire deep thinking. Educational innovations that are effective and impactful leave a lasting influence on our learners that help secure their future.      

Evaluators seek women educators whose learning materials and teaching approaches show:

• Proof of learning among target learners. There is observable change and improvement in learners’ understanding of concepts, performance of the associated skills, and articulation of related ideas resulting from use of these materials or methods.
• Potential for sustainability; replicability; scalability of innovations; Mobilization, Utilization, and management of resources. These materials and methods can be maintained and simulated in other locales with similar conditions and have a wide reach among the target cohort of learners. They must have proof that available resources were mobilized and organized as needed. They must show that the same resources were used responsibly without causing loss or undue strain on anyone. There must be evidence that the resources used were competently managed and controlled.   
• Excellence in implementation and attainment of the goals of innovative practices. The innovations were skillfully used or executed to prevent discontinuities in concept and skills development, making sure that the learning goals are reached.  
• Empowerment of learners. The innovations contribute to the building of learners’ confidence and beliefs in their potentials to become the productive members of the community that they ought to be.

Personal and Professional Integrity (15%)

FLORA women are envisioned to be role models to Filipino women, particularly those that come from humble beginnings. They embody the ideals of a caring mother, a dutiful daughter, a loyal friend, a responsible co-worker, and a productive community member. Heartwarming stories of how the Filipino woman stood strong amidst the Covid 19 pandemic and other natural and manmade disasters abound, whether keeping their family safe at home or working extra hours to put food on their tables.     

Filipino women educators are the bedrock of schools and institutions. Intelligent, tenacious, and resilient – they provide stability and continuity in our people’s education. Evaluators seek women educators who:

• Are law-abiding and responsible citizens. A FLORA woman follows laws, rules, regulations, and procedures and shows responsibility and accountability for her choices and actions. She does not violate against any life or property. She pays her taxes, exercises her right to vote, and secures all documents and permits needed to carry out her duties as an educator with dignity and honor.
• Possess professional ethics. A FLORA woman keeps the highest standards of honesty – true in word and deed and accepting of her own strengths and weaknesses. She demonstrates the core values of an educational institution:
  • a) integrity
  • b) respect
  • c) responsibility
  • d) desire for new knowledge
  • e) excellence, and
  • f) collegiality or community spirit

A FLORA woman shows genuine care and compassion for the learner.

• She exhibits initiative and teacher agency. A FLORA woman is attentive to problematic situations and is quick to take action, if necessary. She displays purposeful commitment to develop her own growth and enables the growth of her co-workers.

Contributions to Community (15%)

FLORA women recognize that they are part of a larger community beyond themselves, their families, and their clan. They understand that real progress cannot be attained unless each member of their community is free from poverty, ignorance, and abuse. These are selfless women who pour much of their time and energies into worthwhile activities that contribute to the upliftment of people’s lives.

Evaluators seek women educators who:

• Effect behavior changes in their communities. A FLORA woman educator promotes a growth mindset among the learners. They inspire hard work and dedication in achieving personal goals.
• Make an impact on their communities. A FLORA woman educator’s innovations provide learners and their families with new opportunities for a better and more secure and dignified life. Their innovations motivate others to pursue related projects that benefit the communities. FLORA women are not hesitant to link with other services and offices in the community because they understand the intricate networking involved in a community’s total development.
• Are recognized by peers/external community. A FLORA woman knows with humility that every good work must be shared, if only to benefit more people and not to call attention to herself. Her work gives credence to her character and worth. She is recognized, written, and spoken about, and celebrated by her own peers and communities.

MFI looks forward to identifying the women educators who meet the above criteria for FLORA.