Gokongwei Brothers Foundation & Ateneo de Manila Tackle Education Reform

Funded by a GBF endowment, Ateneo’s newest school focuses on education & learning innovation

The Philippines’ educational system is on a downward spiral. According to two globally conducted studies, Filipino students rank among the lowest in reading, mathematics, and science compared to their foreign counterparts. 

In the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study conducted by the Boston-based International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, fourth grade students from the Philippines ranked the lowest in mathematics and science aptitude among 58 participating countries.

These disappointing results were similar to another global study, the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment done by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. There, the Philippines placed last among 79 countries when it came to reading comprehension among 15-year-old students. In the areas of math and science, it ranked second from the bottom. 


Determined to alter the course of this narrative, the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation and the Ateneo de Manila University have announced their latest partnership, the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (GBSEALD). This was disclosed by ADMU President Fr. Roberto C. Yap, S.J., in a memo to the university community on May 24, 2021.

GBSEALD will be the newest Loyola School — the college unit of Ateneo de Manila University — joining the School of Humanities, the School of Social Sciences, the School of Science and Engineering, and the John Gokongwei School of Management.

According to Fr. Yap’s memo, the naming of the new Loyola School is in recognition of the “extraordinary donation” from the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation to establish the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation Endowment for Educational Innovation.

The said donation was made possible by GBF, led by its chairman, Lance Y. Gokongwei, who is also on the Board of Trustees of Ateneo de Manila; GBF President James L. Go, an original donor to the foundation; and GBF trustees Patrick Henry C. Go, Johnson Robert G. Go Jr., and Lisa Y. Gokongwei-Cheng (GBF General Manager), representing their parents who endowed and co-founded the GBF.

“The arrival of the new Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design of the Ateneo de Manila could not have come at a better time, now that we are at the threshold of an exciting period of reinvention,” said Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin, S.J., a former president of the university, who initiated the establishment of GBSEALD.

Apart from Fr. Villarin, the university memo also credited the efforts of Fr. Johnny C. Go, S.J., GBSEALD’s founding dean, and Bernadine T. Siy, the chair of the Board of Trustees, “for their efforts in establishing the School and in negotiating with GBF."

GBF General Manager Lisa Y. Gokongwei-Cheng said strengthening the educational stakeholders' capability to drive and deliver quality education and provide better access to it is one of the foundation’s mandates. She is gratified to pursue this imperative in partnership with institutions like the Ateneo.

“We are honored and delighted to be collaborating again with Ateneo, this time through GBSEALD, as we work towards our goal of developing our teachers and educators, who are the shapers of our future citizens,” said Gokongwei-Cheng.

GBSEALD, which will be housed on the fourth floor of the George S.K. Ty Learning Innovation Wing of the Areté, the creativity and innovation hub of the university, has three strategic goals: capacity building, knowledge building, and influence/network building.

Capacity Building focuses on improving the standards of the nation’s school faculty by providing high-quality teacher education degrees, teacher training, and leadership development, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, as well as literacy, critical thinking, and Catholic education. Building on this will be consultancies and partnerships with select Teacher Education Institutes, or TEIs.

Knowledge Building will be accomplished through high-impact research to aid educational decisions in educational policy/systems, learning, and teaching.

To achieve Influence and Network Building, GBSEALD will form partnerships with other educational institutions, government agencies, and other NGOs to promote Philippine educational reform and improve education with a focus on STEM and literacy.

These strategic goals of GBSEALD fully align with the stated aims of the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, which seeks to “prepare Filipino learners to be digitally-adept workers, critical thinkers, and innovative problem-solvers” by “elevating educators’ professional development, creating quality content, and scaling access through scholarships and technology.”

The pursuit of these aims has been bolstered further with the establishment of the Lily Gokongwei Ngochua Leadership Academy under GBSEALD. Named in honor of the Gokongwei brothers’ only sister, the Academy was likewise made possible through the GBF Endowment for Educational Innovation, and will offer leadership development programs for educational leaders, especially those in the public education sector.

“The school promises not only to raise the quality of Philippine education by upskilling teachers and upgrading content and pedagogy in a digital world,” said Fr. Villarin. “It will also be busy working with others to upscale the lessons we have learned and remove the systemic and leadership burdens that have bedeviled us for decades.”

"We look forward to working with GBF in preparing outstanding future teachers, educational leaders, and learning professionals for Philippine society,” added Fr. Yap.

GBF Chairman Lance Y. Gokongwei narrates how pleased he is with GBF’s work in building the future through education. “By equipping learners with quality STEM education, we will prepare them to be digitally-adept workers, critical thinkers, and innovative problem-solvers who can contribute to the growth of their communities. We believe this is a driving force for sustainable national development,” he said.

By 2025, GBF’s aspiration is that the foundation would have taken part in the learning journey of 10,000 educators and 1,000,000 learners.

“This, I believe,” says Gokongwei, “is the GBF way of building a better future for Filipinos.”

For more information, visit the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation’s website, or get in touch with the University Marketing & Communications Office of Ateneo de Manila at mktgcomm@ateneo.edu