It all started with a dream.
That dream was to bring Steiner pedagogy to the Philippines and to help bring about genuine social transformation.
As Ms. Bella Tan recalls, the aim as to “…educate young children in freedom in order for them to properly develop and mature into responsible, thinking, moral human beings possessing the strength and courage to take concrete steps initially, to develop one’s self, and eventually to contribute to the good of the bigger community/society.”
The pioneers: Bella C. Tan, Mary Joan V. Fajardo, Katherine C. Perlas
Thus was born the Manila Waldorf School, Inc. (MWSI). MWSI is the pioneer school of Steiner education in the Philippines. Founded in 1994 by faculty pioneers Bella C. Tan, Mary Joan V. Fajardo, and Katherine C. Perlas, MWSI is non-stock, non-profit educational foundation that is dedicated to spreading Steiner education in the country.
Steiner education is one of the fastest-growing non-traditional educational movements in the world. Its pedagogy is based on the teachings of the late Austrian philosopher, Dr. Rudolf Steiner, on the development stages of childhood and adolescence.
From the very first Steiner school (which was then named Waldorf, hence the interchangeable use of the terms “Waldorf school” and “Steiner school”) in Stuttgart, Germany 90 years ago, there are now over 800 Steiner schools and 1,000 Steiner kindergartens in 50 countries on six continents.
