DFA Book “Filipino Footprints in Africa” Goes Digital
MANILA 29 June 2018 – The commemorative book of the Department of Foreign Affairs entitled “Filipino Footprints in Africa: The Pioneering Mission of Filipino Teachers in Ethiopia” is now available online.
The book was uploaded as professional development material at the Learning Resources Portal of the Department of Education (DepEd), making said material accessible to all members of the Portal via the following link: https://lrmds.deped.gov.ph/detail/13917.
The said book, which was published by the DFA Office of Middle East and African Affairs (DFA-OMEAA), under the editorial direction of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Hjayceelyn M. Quintana, features a compilation of narratives and photos of some of the 137 Filipino teachers who were deployed to teach in Ethiopia in the 1970s as part of the basic-education related projects sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and made a big impact on the Ethiopian educational system.
Assistant Secretary Quintana handed over copies of the book to Educational Department through Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction Lorna Dig Dino at the DepEd Complex in Pasig City.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED), through Officer-in-Charge Commissioner J. Prospero E. De Vera III, likewise received copies of the book in a simple turnover ceremony held at CHED in Quezon City.
Among the attendees were representatives from the National Teachers College, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Far Eastern University, De Ocampo Memorial College, and Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, whose former teachers belong to the pioneering group of educators who taught in Ethiopia.
Commissioner De Vera lauded the initiative of DFA-OMEAA in its attempt to document the diaspora of Filipino teachers in Ethiopia before the influx of Filipinos being deployed to the Middle East in the 70s. These teachers, said De Vera, acted not just educators but ambassadors of goodwill in their places of assignment who became instrumental in forging closer diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The book was published in time for the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Ethiopia, which were formally established on 07 February 1977. END