The Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) capped off its STEM Collab ARAL Series: Masterclass on Reading Remediation Strategies this August with record-setting teacher engagement, underscoring the urgency and collective action around improving reading and learning outcomes in the Philippines.
Held over three consecutive Saturdays in August, the online series gathered reading remediation experts to train and inspire teachers nationwide on best practices for addressing learning gaps.
The sessions drew an unprecedented 209,000 peak live attendees — the largest audience ever hosted on Microsoft Town Hall by the Gokongwei Group making it a historic milestone in GBF’s teacher upskilling initiatives online.
Beyond attendance, the series achieved tangible impact:
- 124,508 teachers earned certificates for completing all sessions and submitting the required outputs.
- 30,000 teachers gained Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units through GBF’s partnership with DepEd’s National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP).
Launched under GBF’s growing STEM Collab community, the ARAL Series on Reading Remediation Strategies carries the foundation’s commitment to supporting teachers with practical tools, accredited learning opportunities, and nationwide peer collaboration.
“This turnout proves that teachers are eager for accessible, high-quality professional development,” says Head of Educator Programs, Tinette De Asis. “Together with DepEd and our partners like Microsoft, we are building a movement to address learning poverty and uplift our classrooms. ”
Microsoft, a key partner in this mission, has powered the event through its MS Teams Premium Town Hall features, providing the core technology that enabled seamless streaming and engagement. It has recently increased its capacity limits to enable the delivery of large-scale virtual events. Since it was a first for GBF STEM Collab to reach a virtual audience of this size, Microsoft Philippines generously extended their support before, during and after each event, guiding us each step of the way to ensure a smooth experience for the teachers.
GBF, powered by Microsoft platforms, pledges to continue supporting capability building for teachers through virtual trainings, with another ARAL Series on Numeracy Remediation underway before the year ends.