By Merlina Hernando-Malipot
For the Department of Education (DepEd), the year 2018 was all about closing the gaps and initiating reforms to ensure better delivery of education to Filipino learners.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones
(DepEd / MANILA BULLETIN) Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that in 2018, DepEd focused on addressing delays in school buildings after “severely excoriated” in 2017. “We went after the delays in our school building program,” she explained. Through this, DepEd was able to sustain its increased obligation rate at 97 percent from 90 percent in 2016 and 88 percent in 2015. Briones noted that the year 2018 also marked the review of the K to 12 curriculum, capacitating the teachers, improvement in DepEd’s systems and strengthening further its regional operations. “I believe, education policies should really be at the region where the learners are,” she said. For DepEd Undersecretary and Spokesperson Atty. Nepomuceno Malaluan, there have been major gains in access to education in 2018. “There are already very strong improvements in school participation, in drop-outs rates and interventions to access to education as well,” he explained. Malaluan also noted the high approval rating of the DepEd. In September, DepEd received an 88 percent approval rating – the highest among all government agencies – from its rating of 84 percent in March 2018. “We believe this reflect the improvements in the delivery of basic education sector,” he said. Major gains “Our continued investments in basic education, including the sustained implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program, also contributed to the interest of more learners to continue being in school, to pursue learning, and to persist in attaining goals for themselves and for the country,” Briones said. Briones noted that DepEd “significantly improved” its budget utilization and its delivery of education services and resources in the past year as it “continues to provide better access to quality basic education to more Filipino learners.” DepEd’s “improved performance,” Briones said, can be attributed to program and financial management, procurement process reforms, and strategic interventions. “Created at the policy level, these initiatives were meant to help address long time bottlenecks, challenges, and constraints within the Department,” she added. One of the recent developments in 2018—which was welcomed by DepEd – is the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) declaring the constitutionality of the K to 12 Program. Briones said that the SC’s decision “affirmed” the long-standing position of the DepEd on K to 12 and that the SC’s ruling is “pivotal to realization of quality basic education” and social development goals as well. “The ruling empowers us to better deliver quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating basic education to the Filipino learners whom we are sworn to serve,” she explained. First SHS grads The school year 2017-2018 also produced the first batch of Senior High School (SHS) graduates since its nationwide implementation in 2016. For SY 2017-2018, DepEd noted that there are 977,318 junior high school (JHS) grantees and around 1.29 million SHS grantees were able to enrol in private schools through the Education Service Contracting (ESC) and the SHS Voucher Program, respectively. Conducive learning environment DepEd also focused on making the learning environment “more conducive and modern” thus, crucial basic education facilities and resources “have also improved.” DepEd data showed that from July 2016 to June 2018, there were 22,133 classrooms and 1,309 Technical-Vocational (Tech-Voc) laboratories were constructed; and 82,725 sets of schools seats (one set includes 45 seats, one teacher’s chair and table) were delivered and in turn contributed to the improved teacher-to-learner ratio and classroom-to-learner ratios. Challenges While closing the gaps in basic education resourcing was a major challenge in 2018, Briones noted that the education sector must brace itself for a bigger challenge: catching up with the rest of the world. “Knowledge is changing and we have a lot of catching up to do,” said Briones. “I think this will be a continuing challenge because education, knowledge, keeps on changing and there are always new discoveries on the field and we need to keep in touch,” she added. Briones also noted that DepEd will further focus on providing quality education. “We’re also focusing on quality because the Constitution is very clear, quality education for all, and this takes a lot of effort,” she explained. Malaluan also noted that while there is a “very high participation rate” already, one of the major challenges in 2018 is “making decisive gains in education quality.” Thus, he noted that upgrading capacities of teachers becomes a “very important challenge in the future.” Meanwhile, Briones noted that DepEd had its fair share of dealing with the “prevalence of fake news turning into legitimate news” as well as “fake news fueled by prejudices, by various objectives – both locally and internationally.” Up ahead With the education sector still enjoying the national budget’s lion’s share in 2019, Briones said that DepEd remains committed to “promoting and providing quality and relevant basic education that is accessible to all.” Based on the cash-based budget prepared by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as part of the 2019 National Expenditure Program (NEP), DepEd’s allocated budget is P528.8 billion. Briones mentioned that DepEd will embark on further improving its financial systems. “In 2019 we are geared to further improve our own financial systems,” she said. “One reason why employees go into debt is due to the delays in the payment of salaries, in the downloading of fund, etc. we have to work very, very hard on this,” she added. Meanwhile, Briones noted that DepEd shall continue to amplify its efforts to “produce 21st century graduates equipped with the core values and lifelong competencies they need to contribute to societal development and nation-building” which is the very goal of the K to 12 program. She also emphasized that DepEd will continuously conduct efforts to “trace and reach all last mile learners” – or those learners who are in far-flung areas where the reach of education seems impossible.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones(DepEd / MANILA BULLETIN) Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that in 2018, DepEd focused on addressing delays in school buildings after “severely excoriated” in 2017. “We went after the delays in our school building program,” she explained. Through this, DepEd was able to sustain its increased obligation rate at 97 percent from 90 percent in 2016 and 88 percent in 2015. Briones noted that the year 2018 also marked the review of the K to 12 curriculum, capacitating the teachers, improvement in DepEd’s systems and strengthening further its regional operations. “I believe, education policies should really be at the region where the learners are,” she said. For DepEd Undersecretary and Spokesperson Atty. Nepomuceno Malaluan, there have been major gains in access to education in 2018. “There are already very strong improvements in school participation, in drop-outs rates and interventions to access to education as well,” he explained. Malaluan also noted the high approval rating of the DepEd. In September, DepEd received an 88 percent approval rating – the highest among all government agencies – from its rating of 84 percent in March 2018. “We believe this reflect the improvements in the delivery of basic education sector,” he said. Major gains “Our continued investments in basic education, including the sustained implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program, also contributed to the interest of more learners to continue being in school, to pursue learning, and to persist in attaining goals for themselves and for the country,” Briones said. Briones noted that DepEd “significantly improved” its budget utilization and its delivery of education services and resources in the past year as it “continues to provide better access to quality basic education to more Filipino learners.” DepEd’s “improved performance,” Briones said, can be attributed to program and financial management, procurement process reforms, and strategic interventions. “Created at the policy level, these initiatives were meant to help address long time bottlenecks, challenges, and constraints within the Department,” she added. One of the recent developments in 2018—which was welcomed by DepEd – is the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) declaring the constitutionality of the K to 12 Program. Briones said that the SC’s decision “affirmed” the long-standing position of the DepEd on K to 12 and that the SC’s ruling is “pivotal to realization of quality basic education” and social development goals as well. “The ruling empowers us to better deliver quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating basic education to the Filipino learners whom we are sworn to serve,” she explained. First SHS grads The school year 2017-2018 also produced the first batch of Senior High School (SHS) graduates since its nationwide implementation in 2016. For SY 2017-2018, DepEd noted that there are 977,318 junior high school (JHS) grantees and around 1.29 million SHS grantees were able to enrol in private schools through the Education Service Contracting (ESC) and the SHS Voucher Program, respectively. Conducive learning environment DepEd also focused on making the learning environment “more conducive and modern” thus, crucial basic education facilities and resources “have also improved.” DepEd data showed that from July 2016 to June 2018, there were 22,133 classrooms and 1,309 Technical-Vocational (Tech-Voc) laboratories were constructed; and 82,725 sets of schools seats (one set includes 45 seats, one teacher’s chair and table) were delivered and in turn contributed to the improved teacher-to-learner ratio and classroom-to-learner ratios. Challenges While closing the gaps in basic education resourcing was a major challenge in 2018, Briones noted that the education sector must brace itself for a bigger challenge: catching up with the rest of the world. “Knowledge is changing and we have a lot of catching up to do,” said Briones. “I think this will be a continuing challenge because education, knowledge, keeps on changing and there are always new discoveries on the field and we need to keep in touch,” she added. Briones also noted that DepEd will further focus on providing quality education. “We’re also focusing on quality because the Constitution is very clear, quality education for all, and this takes a lot of effort,” she explained. Malaluan also noted that while there is a “very high participation rate” already, one of the major challenges in 2018 is “making decisive gains in education quality.” Thus, he noted that upgrading capacities of teachers becomes a “very important challenge in the future.” Meanwhile, Briones noted that DepEd had its fair share of dealing with the “prevalence of fake news turning into legitimate news” as well as “fake news fueled by prejudices, by various objectives – both locally and internationally.” Up ahead With the education sector still enjoying the national budget’s lion’s share in 2019, Briones said that DepEd remains committed to “promoting and providing quality and relevant basic education that is accessible to all.” Based on the cash-based budget prepared by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as part of the 2019 National Expenditure Program (NEP), DepEd’s allocated budget is P528.8 billion. Briones mentioned that DepEd will embark on further improving its financial systems. “In 2019 we are geared to further improve our own financial systems,” she said. “One reason why employees go into debt is due to the delays in the payment of salaries, in the downloading of fund, etc. we have to work very, very hard on this,” she added. Meanwhile, Briones noted that DepEd shall continue to amplify its efforts to “produce 21st century graduates equipped with the core values and lifelong competencies they need to contribute to societal development and nation-building” which is the very goal of the K to 12 program. She also emphasized that DepEd will continuously conduct efforts to “trace and reach all last mile learners” – or those learners who are in far-flung areas where the reach of education seems impossible.