Golden Link College

Golden Link College
Address
Waling-waling St., Barangay 177 Caloocan City Philippines
Information
Type	Private, Co-educational, Collegiate, Day school
Established	2002
Key people	Vicente Hao Chin, Jr. (President), Rekha Nahar (Administrator)
Website	http://theosophy.ph/goldenlinkcollege.html 14°44′43.7″N 121°3′27.1″E Golden Link College

Golden Link College is an institution established by the Theosophical Society in the Philippines and the Theosophical Order of Service Foundation Philippines. It is located in the northern part of Caloocan City, Philippines. As of 2009, it offers courses from preschool, elementary, secondary up to collegiate levels. It is a non-profit, non-sectarian college set up as foundation.

The vision of the school is "to create an education system in which individuals can discover the core values of their lives for themselves, free from fear, coercion and prejudice. Through innovative teaching methods that respect and nurture the individuality and creativity of students, it attempts to integrate the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects of their growth in a well-rounded programme. Teaching students to embrace their common humanity and to recognize their place in the web of life, the school strives to honour many faiths. It holds the conviction that individuals who are at peace with themselves will ultimately create a world at peace. In short, the school is an experiment in transformative education."

History

The Golden Link College was established in 2002 as Golden Link School at the request of community members in Camarin, Caloocan City, where the Theosophical Order of Service had established a pre-school called TOS Learning Center. It opened in June 2002 with pre-school classes (nursery, kindergarten, and preparatory levels). The following year, it accepted elementary school pupils. In 2005, it opened its secondary school department. In 2006, its started its Golden Link Institute for Teacher Training as a program for training its own teachers and college students who are taking up education courses. In 2009, it was given approval by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to open two collegiate courses: Bachelor of Secondary Education (major in English, Mathematics or Physical Sciences) and Bachelor of Elementary Education (major in General Education or Preschool Education). It added three additional courses: Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (major in Marketing Management), and Bachelor of Science in Psychology. In 2013, it was given approval by CHED to offer Teacher Certificate Program (TCP) for college graduates of non-education courses so that they can take the government Licensure Examination for Teachers.

Golden Link College frequently has visiting teachers or professors from other countries (e.g., Australia, France, Switzerland) who teach short-term courses in various fields, such as leadership, literature, leadership, art, etc. It has also received grants and support from individuals and organizations for scholarships to poor students and for campus development.

Educational Philosophy

The educational approach of the Golden Link College is founded on the theosophical understanding of human nature. Every human being is composed of an external, personal nature (persona, or psyche) as well as an inner individuality that transcends personal conditioned preferences. Both must be integrated rather than be in conflict. Thus education means the training of the personality while drawing out the inner nature of the student. In doing so, the educator must take care that the training of the personality does not produce habits or characteristics that eventually conflict with the student's inner individuality and values.

In consonance with such a philosophy, the school thus incorporates certain principles and approaches in education in addition to the pursuit of academic excellence. Example of its approaches include the following:

• non-competitiveness, hence does not confer first or second honors
• does not use grades to judge or compare students with each other, although there are regular scholastic assessments
• the teachers do not use fear as a way of motivating children
• promotes an atmosphere of acceptance, understanding, love and care.
• allows the studentry to set many of the rules of the school
• integrates character building and values education in all phases of school life
• promotes love of learning as a way of motivating children to learn
• involves parents and elders very closely in observing the growth of children
• inculcates the growth and development of children through opportunities for expression and application.

The school is located in Waling-Waling Street, Barangay 177, Caloocan City, Philippines.

While the school is private and has tuition fees, it is open to those families who cannot afford to pay regular tuition fees. In fact, most of its students are under various forms of scholarship. Every year, it offers free summer classes to the community focusing on language proficiency and personality development.

Bohol Branch

In 2013, Golden Link College opened its first branch in Cortes, Bohol Province, for preschool levels: Nursery, Kindergarten 1 and Kindergarten 2. Like its mother campus, it also offered free summer classes to the community for the development of language proficiency and personality.

External links

• Theosophical Society in the Philippines
• Theosophical Society Adyar

External links

• Official website
• "On Education" by Vicente Hao Chin, Jr.
• "Visit to the Golden Link School" by Diana Dunningham Chapotin
• Theosophical Society in the Philippines