Aegis, a global business services and experience management company, recently partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Vicsal Foundation, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of the Gaisano chain of department stores, to launch the Better English, Better Future program.
The launch was attended by Dr. Rhea Mar Angtud, School Superintendent for DepEd, Cebu City Division; Dr. Edward Gaisano, president of Vicsal Foundation; Joelyza Miguel-Arcilla, Ed.D., principal of Lahug Elementary School; Joy Augustus Young, vice mayor of Cebu City and Chairman of Committee on Education, and Aegis executives and Happy World Ambassadors, led by Dennis Tagamolila, assistant vice president for Aspire People Solutions, an Aegis subsidiary.
“The Better English, Better Future program will give Cebu students an edge when it comes to mastery of the language.  English is a language that Cebuanos embrace aside from our very own mother tongue.  As Cebu prepares itself to become a top business and tourist destination in Asia, the Gaisano Group of Companies, in partnership with a global company like Aegis, recognizes this endeavor to be of major significance, and we will work hand in hand in making this a reality,” said Gaisano.
The program, implemented under Aegis’ corporate social responsibility initiative Happy World, aims to improve the English conversational skills of public elementary school students through various classroom activities and teacher seminars.  Aegis Happy World Ambassadors, who received training on storytelling techniques and classroom management, shared their expertise through tutorial sessions for students of Lahug Elementary School, the pilot site of the program.  Aegis, together with Aspire People Solutions and Foundation Training teams, also conducted English communication skills seminar for 140 teachers of the same school.  The success of the said seminar has encouraged the DepEd superintendents in Cebu City to seek the assistance of Aegis in the conduct of a similar workshop on a citywide scope.  A module is now being prepared by Aegis for future use.
“To the Aegis family, please accept my heartfelt gratitude for choosing our school as a beneficiary of this program,” said Miguel-Arcilla.  “The program will certainly improve the English communication skills of our schoolchildren, a skill that has been deteriorating albeit several interventions integrated into the curriculum.  The school, as a catalyst for change, recognizes the vital role of English in communication.  With this partnership, I hope you can inspire our children to use the language effectively to reach out to the world,” she added.
“The Better English, Better Future program represents Aegis’ commitment to CSR and is aligned with the philosophies we are trying to promote through our corporate social responsibility initiative, Happy World,” said Christine Pereira, vice president of Aegis Happy World.
Happy World, built on the foundation of three philosophies – Happier People, Healthier Planet, and Inclusive Progress – is Aegis’ commitment to give back to the community and the environment and extend its expertise to the community by providing quality training.
“The Happy World initiative aims to reach all communities, regardless of class and socio-economic status through activities involving the participation of all Aegis stakeholders. Ultimately, we hope to make these activities meaningful to both Aegis as well as the external communities, resulting in a mutually beneficial relationship.  The Better English, Better Future program is one of the defining activities in the area of education and literacy that we hope will make a difference in the lives of these children and make them Happier People,” added Pereira.
The Happy World program is implemented in all Aegis global locations across 13 countries.  
In the Philippines, Aegis has partnered with Philippine National Red Cross, Children’s Hour, Rags2Riches, World Vision, Kythe Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Rotaract Club of Cebu South, UNICEF, and various schools and universities in the implementation of Happy World activities.