NDMC Brings Books and Hope to Cawilihan High School on the Feast of St. Eugène de Mazenod
Aleosan, Cotabato — May 21, 2026. The Notre Dame of Midsayap College (NDMC), through its College of Education and Quality Assurance Office, journeyed to Cawilihan High School to formally turn over storybooks, textbooks, and other reading references in support of the school's Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program in Reading. The activity was purposively held on the Feast Day of St. Eugène de Mazenod, founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, transforming an ordinary turnover into a living witness of his charism — charity within the community and zeal for souls beyond it.
The NDMC delegation was composed of the Program Heads of the Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) and the Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSED), the Quality Assurance Director, and the Administrative Assistant. They were warmly received by the Officer-in-Charge of Cawilihan High School, Ma'am Delia C. Tadiaque, together with three other CHS faculty members, in a simple program marked by an opening prayer, messages of gratitude, the ceremonial turnover of materials, and a closing prayer invoking the intercession of St. Eugène.
More than a donation, the activity is NDMC's concrete response to the urgent call of the EDCOM II Final Report, which has surfaced deep learning poverty among Filipino learners and pressed institutions to act decisively on foundational literacy and critical thinking. It likewise advances Sustainable Development Goal 4 on inclusive and quality education and SDG 17 on partnerships, showing how a higher education institution and a public secondary school can stand together for the sake of young readers.
The Turn-Over Program embodies the NDMC core values, which are drawn from the charism of St. Eugène de Mazenod and which call the Notre Damean community to "dare to serve the poor in their many faces and voices." By placing books directly into the hands of CHS learners, NDMC reaffirms that quality assurance is most authentic when it moves beyond documentation and into communities where literacy can change lives.
Moving forward, NDMC commits to institutionalizing the Book Donation Drive as an annual flagship community extension activity with Cawilihan High School as a continuing partner-beneficiary. The College of Education shall integrate reading-remediation immersion and storybook development into the BEED and BSED practicum, while the Quality Assurance Office shall sustain monitoring, documentation, and resource mobilization in coordination with the Community Extension Services Office, student organizations, alumni, and partner Oblate parishes.
As the Notre Damean community celebrates the Feast of its spiritual father, this humble turnover stands as a reminder that every donated book is a seed of hope — and that the zeal of St. Eugène continues to find new voice in the classrooms, libraries, and reading corners of Mindanao.
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