BUTUAN CITY - It was a new record-high for the Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center XIII (ATI-Caraga) when it produced 1,200 Caraga graduates under the electronic learning (e-Learning) program of ATI. The mass graduation was held last December 4, 2017 at the Prince Hotel Convention Center, Butuan City where students, faculty, agricultural extension workers (AEWs), farmers, government and private individuals who took and passed ATI’s online courses have received their certificates, t-shirts, information kits, and other perks.

Robert T. Poculan Jr., Center Director of ATI-Caraga, stressed the essence of education when he said that “educating the mind without educating the heart is not education.” He urged the graduates to apply the knowledge they have learned and to help ATI in campaigning e-Learning program to their colleagues and community. This call was supported by one of the professors of Caraga State University (CSU), in the person of Susana B. Montilla when she said during her closing remarks that knowledge should not just be stocked in the mind but should also be put into action and should be shared to others.

Several participants expressed their joy and gratitude to ATI for the opportunity of being part of the e-Learning program. Decemboy B. Tiu, a student from CSU, was thankful to ATI for developing e-Learning. “For me, it is not easy to answer several online questions and pass the course … but I believe that e-Learning will help uplift agricultural literacy towards betterment of Philippine agriculture.”

Kristine L. Buniel, a student from Surigao del Sur State University (SDSSU), also thanked ATI for “allowing people especially farmers to learn more technologies without physically attending trainings.” Furthermore she said that, “ATI accommodated the students with fast response, easy instructions, and excellent service. It was indeed very successful for it widened our knowledge and horizons.”

Fil Victor A. Babanto, Information Officer II of ATI-Caraga and Project Officer of the event, presented the updates on e-Extension and a video production showcasing the participants of e-Learning. He also facilitated the giving of certificates and awards which were handed over to the graduates by Director Poculan, Prof. Montilla, and dignitaries from Manila namely Pamela Mappala, Information Officer IV of ATI-Central Office and Jose Rey Y. Alo, e-Learning Process Consultant.

The ATI-Caraga has been hosting the e-Learning Mass Graduation almost every year since 2008. According to Director Poculan, the number of graduates has exponentially increased from 100 plus in 2008 to 1,200 in 2017. Majority of these graduates are from CSU, SDSSU, Agusan del Sur State College of Arts and Trade (ASSCAT), and Hawilian National High School since these schools have committed to incorporate ATI’s e-Learning in their school curriculum.