Partido State University (ParSU), through its College of Education (CED), hosted a special lecture as part of the NAKEM Conference series on March 15, 2026, featuring visiting scholar Dr. Aurelio Agcaoili, Department Chair of Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures at the University of Hawai'i at Mฤnoa. The academic gathering brought together undergraduate and graduate students from ParSU CED and students from Goa Community College (GCC) for a series of discussions centered on decolonization, language, and critical education.
In his opening message, University President Dr. Arnel B. Zarcedo framed the lecture's significance within the country's historical experience, emphasizing how colonization shaped not only political institutions but also knowledge systems.
"For a country like the Philippines, which lived through centuries of colonization, the struggle was not only about land or governance," Pres. Zarcedo said, noting that colonial influence extended to how societies think, learn, and define legitimate knowledge. "It influenced whose language carried authority, whose history was written, and whose voices were often left unheard."
He emphasized the importance of reclaiming local languages and cultural knowledge within education, noting that recognizing them as legitimate sources of knowledge is "an act of intellectual liberation." Pres. Zarcedo also highlighted the role of universities in connecting academic learning with community realities, adding that higher education must take part in an awakening that questions inherited systems of knowledge.
During the lecture series, Dr. Agcaoili delivered three talks that explored the intersections of language, culture, and decolonial scholarship. His first lecture, "Indo-Pacific Studies, the Philippines, and Post-Decolonization," examined how the Philippines fits within the broader intellectual and cultural landscape of the Indo-Pacific region, highlighting the importance of viewing regional histories and knowledge traditions beyond colonial frameworks.
In "Awakening the Colonized Mind: Engaged Andragogy as Post-Decolonial Praxis," Dr. Agcaoili discussed the role of critical adult education in challenging colonial legacies in learning systems. He emphasized the importance of engaged andragogy, an approach that positions learners as active participants who critically reflect on their experiences, histories, and social contexts.
Meanwhile, his third lecture, "Language Inequity and the Road to the Right Lessons of Critical Andragogy," focused on the persistent inequalities in language use within education. The discussion underscored how linguistic hierarchies influence access to knowledge and how educational institutions can promote equity by recognizing indigenous and local languages as valid media for learning and scholarship.
Prior to the lecture, an exploratory meeting on March 14, 2026, was also held to discuss potential collaborative projects and academic programs between ParSU, the NAKEM International Consortium, and the University of Hawaiสปi at Mฤnoa. A committee meeting was likewise convened in preparation for ParSU's hosting of the 21st NAKEM International Conference, which will bring together scholars, educators, and cultural advocates from around the world to advance discussions on indigenous knowledge, language, and community engagement.
Also present during the event were Dr. Joan A. Monforte-Bedes, Dean of the CED, Marvin O. Gabatin, Associate Dean and Concurrent Andragogy Department Chair, along with faculty members of the Andragogy Department and GCC.
The lecture series provided students and educators with an opportunity to reflect on how education can help reshape knowledge systems and amplify marginalized voices. As Pres. Zarcedo emphasized, "education does more than inform minds [โ] it awakens them, and when one mind awakens, it lights the path for others to see."
Through initiatives such as the NAKEM Visiting Scholar Lecture, ParSU continues to foster critical academic dialogue on language, culture, and education while strengthening its engagement with community-based knowledge.###
