Exploring a new horizon in education at ABAP Book Fair 2016
Press release. Published in Byahilo.com and various online and print dailies.
http://byahilo.com/index.php/2016/06/22/exploring-a-new-horizon-in-education-at-abap-book-fair-2016/
THIS YEAR’s Philippine Academic Book Fair will rise up to the challenges of the country’s massive educational reforms, including the institution of the K-12 program, which has prompted book sellers, publishers, and importers, school administrators and educators to explore a different horizon in education.
NOW ON its 20th year, the Philippine Academic Book Fair, organized by the Academic Booksellers Association of the Philippines (ABAP), will be held on July 5 to 7, from 10 am. To 7 pm at the Megatrade Hall 1, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.
With the theme “Booksellers and Educators: A Partnership for Sustainable Education in a Global Environment Amidst Educational Reform,” The ABAP Book Fair will host exciting talks and seminars about the latest trends and issues in education.
“We are pushing the ABAP book fair because of the necessity of the Senior High School, the 11th and 12th grades, to acquire holistic reference materials. These are the materials that educators will be able to refer to when it comes to the curriculum, the subjects, and the competencies that they will be teaching,” said Bing De Jesus, president and general manager of F&J de Jesus, Inc and ex-officio president of ABAP.
With this year’s theme, ABAP will underscore the importance of maintaining a proactive partnership between booksellers, publishers, importers and educators in the midst of educational reforms. The association will broaden the horizon for the academe, especially in the era of K-12, by bringing in many exhibitors from various and well-known publishers, local and international.
“We call it a partnership because we service the needs of the libraries—we answer the needs of the faculty (of schools) in terms of library and professional references. And, since that there is an ongoing educational reform, like the implementation of grades 11 and 12, we need to help them in their collection development—in their library holding requirements,” said Evelyn Millar, president and general manager of Golden Books Services Inc, and ABAP’s chair for this year’s academic book fair.
“So, it’s really a partnership to sustain the stability of education in the country. In the middle of educational reform, we ask: what are we going to do, to help the educators? And the librarians and educators—what do they need from us? What partnership can we form, to stay in this era of educational reform?” Millar added.
Signed into law in 2013, Republic Act No. 10533, also known as the ‘Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013,’ prompts for the implementation of the K-12 program in which schools will have Senior High Schools (SHSs) that offer various academic tracks, or ‘strands.’ 2016 will be the first year of Senior High School.
“The ABAP Book Fair will offer the reference materials that educators and schools need in order to teach at the different strands of education of the senior high school curriculum—this is the first time in the history of education in the Philippines that the schools will need these reference materials—these materials are specialized to adhere to these ‘strands,” said De Jesus.
Publishers, schools and booksellers maintain a ‘strategic’ and ‘symbiotic’ relationship in the field of education and the education industry.
“This is all a symbiotic relationship as well—schools, publishers and booksellers benefit from each other. So, of course, the ABAP Book Fair develops and furthers this symbiotic relationship, because we [ABAP] are able to satisfy their needs with the requirements of the new educational reform by bringing new books,” said Dina Berioso, president and general manager of IBC Infotech Inc., and former president of ABAP.
The Philippine Academic Book Fair will also be filled with numerous discounts and promos from its exhibitors and publishers—attendees will have the chance to avail these promos throughout the 3-day book fair.
The 20th Philippine Academic Book Fair is co-organized by Primetrade Asia, Inc. For more details about the 20th Philippine Academic Book Fair, call 896-0682 or 896-0661 or email bookfair@primetradeasia.com.
