EDMONTON, ALBERTA — The Alberta Filipino Charter School (AFCS) Board has announced that its application for a public charter school is actively moving forward, addressing recent procedural updates and clarifying that there has been no rejection or setback in its submission to the Alberta Ministry of Education.
AFCS Board President Atty. Bernard Gregorio confirmed that the organization has reached key milestones, including official corporate registration as a society, and is now transitioning into the next critical phase: refining its comprehensive charter application and demonstrating broad community demand.
In July 2026, the AFCS Board submitted a 193-page "QuickView (Beta)" draft to the Ministry of Education. Designed as a compact, consolidated presentation of the proposed school's educational vision, conceptual framework, executive components, and governance structure, the draft served as an initial working document to gather preliminary feedback.
The Ministry subsequently advised the Board that formal charter school submissions must strictly adhere to specific templates, document separation rules, filing structures, and naming conventions. In response, AFCS is reorganizing its detailed, four-volume draft into individual, distinct filings to comply fully with government guidelines.
“The Ministry advised us that the formal application must strictly follow the prescribed template, filing structure, document separation, and naming conventions. We respect that direction and will comply fully,” said Gregorio.
“To be clear, this was neither a rejection nor a setback. It is part of the normal process of review, refinement, and ensuring that the final submission complies with the Ministry’s technical and procedural requirements” he added.
To bolster the application's educational rigor, the AFCS Technical Working Group (TWG) has welcomed three PhD holders specializing in curriculum development, conceptual framework design, research, and technical drafting: they are a Calgary-based university professor, an experienced professional who earned a doctorate in the United States, a double PhD holder from the Philippines currently pursuing further doctoral studies in Canada.
“Their academic expertise and experience in curriculum development, conceptual framework design, research, and technical drafting will be invaluable in producing an application that is rigorous, credible, evidence-based, and professionally prepared,” Gregorio highlighted.
The Technical Working Group and the three educational experts convened on August 6 to begin the application refinement process.
In addition to academic developments, the initiative achieved a major structural landmark by officially registering as a non-profit society—a required legal prerequisite for operating a public charter school authority in Alberta. Board Member Manny Bautista personally spearheaded the legwork required to prepare, finalize, and file the registration documents approved by the Board.
With legal incorporation completed, the Board is shifting its immediate focus to proving strong, measurable public demand across the province.
To satisfy the Ministry of Education's requirements, the AFCS Board must provide evidence of sufficient demand, including verified parent expressions of interest, community engagement data, and educational research proving the school addresses a genuine need.
The Board is urging Filipino families, community leaders, and allies across Alberta to participate actively in the following ways:
(1) Submitting Expressions of Interest: Registering intent to enroll children in the proposed charter school.
(2) Attending Consultations: Participating in upcoming public information campaigns and community town halls.
(3) Volunteering Expertise: Contributing skills in areas such as curriculum development, legal/governance, finance, communications, research, or technical drafting.
(4) Outreach: Helping spread awareness to families and cultural organizations throughout Alberta.
“This initiative is not the work of one person or one group. It is a collective undertaking that will require the knowledge, commitment, confidence, and active participation of the community,” Gregorio emphasized.
“The application continues to move forward. The work of refinement is underway. The foundation has been established. The next step is to demonstrate, through credible evidence and united community participation, that Alberta families are ready to support a Filipino charter school.”
