by Kenshi Yuri
While others invest in other things, Perla Kwan decided to invest in values and quality when she established Precious International School.
“Because I was thinking of putting up a school that would make a difference,” Kwan said.
It was in 1999 when Kwan established Precious at GSIS Heights in Matina, Davao City after she returned from the United States. She had left the country in 1996 to work as a teacher in the United States. But her engineer husband, Rogelio, didn’t want her to remain there and asked her to return to the Philippines. She returned, but got bored staying at home all day, so she asked her husband to look for a place where she could teach 10 or 15 children.
“Teaching is really in my blood. I used to wake up at five or six in the morning and change clothes only to find out I had nowhere to go pala,” she said.
“Somebody asked me to author textbooks for pre-school. The books were sold to other schools. With schools using my own book I thought, ‘why not make my own textbook?’– and that was how it all began,” she added.
“I prayed to the Lord. Despite my husband’s request to stay in our home I went on with my plans,” she said.
She was already in her late 50s then when she put up her first tarpaulin sign. She waited and prayed. The saying “with God, nothing is impossible” proved true for Kwan because, originally, she was only hoping and expecting to receive a few inquiries, but a total of 46 calls came asking when she would open her school.
Precious International School opened in March of 1999 with 46 students. After a year the number had increased to 115, then 305 the next year and 600 a year later. From the original concept of a pre-school she added a grade school and later a high school.
Currently, the school has more than 1,000 students. The school is complete with facilities, like Cyber Cube (Internet), library, clinic, offices, faculty lounge, and laboratory.
Kwan has had to limit the number of students because she doesn’t want to lose the school’s quality instead of opting for quantity.
“Quality, because I had in mind a school that would make a difference, not only in Davao but in the entire country,” she said.
As an institution, Precious focuses on quality and adheres to a holistic strategy for learning. The approach has helped the school to make a name for itself through various interschool competitions here and abroad.
But Kwan values most shaping the character of her stuents. To her, attitude is better than aptitude.
Precious is also inspired by values. Values education has been integrated into the school’s curriculum and is taught in a 40-minute period by way of interpreting and understanding a verse from the Bible.
“The springboard is always a memory verse from the Bible. A different memory verse is discussed every week in sermonette style, with the verse being expounded by the teacher. The subject level differs from level one to high school, but the memory verse remains the same,” Kwan explained.
The school also invests in the continuing development of its teaching staff. She meets them every afternoon to discuss and thresh out problems, updating on what they have downloaded in the Internet, and discussing professional growth.
Despite maintaining a low key status, Precious has been labelled an expensive learning institution.
But Kwan says it is a misconception.
“Our tuition fees are lower than those of big schools. Our down payment is lesser than theirs. So how can we be expensive? It’s not true,” she said.
As an “international school”, Precious caters to all students regardless of race.
But Precious not only focuses on educating its students, it is also committed to molding them into better individuals, like inculcating in their minds the hardships of teenage pregnancy, the risks of having an early affair inside the school, the danger of watching too much TV, and too much exposure and involvement in any social networking site.
The school also partners with parents in providing the students a learning environment that promotes spiritual growth.
Kwan practices hands-on monitoring of the students’ performances. Like a shepherd tending her flock, she also looks out for students who perform poorly due to bad influences.
“Because I believe that there is a reason why a child is enrolled in this school, I treat them like my children. Many students were reformed in this school. I’m happy for one particular child who changed from negative to positive; to me that’s already an accomplishment,” she said.
