The House Committee on Basic Education and Culture and the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education jointly approved a bill declaring January 24 as “International Day of Education” in the entire country.
The panels, chaired by Pasig City lone District Rep. Roman Romulo, and Baguio City lone District Rep. Mark Go, respectively, passed House Bill No. 6288, principally authored by Iloilo 4th District Rep. Braeden John Biron, with amendments proposed by the Commission on Higher and Education (CHED), and Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday.
Under HB 6288, Biron stressed the need for the government to give priority to education to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and development.
“The promotion of and support to education at all levels fosters life-long learning for Filipinos and gives individuals and families more opportunities for an improved quality of life and a meaningful contribution to society,” he said.
He noted that two years ago, on December 3, 2018, the United Nations General Assembly also adopted a resolution proclaiming January 24 the International Day of Education.
CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera recommended to the panel that media networks, particularly the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), be part of the bill so that activities related to the declaration can “reach as many Filipinos as possible."
“We must be able to harness our media networks particularly the PCOO and other instrumentalities of the government to be part of this so that we can maximise the observance of this particular celebration not just with activities within the university, but also used all available platforms both regular platforms such as internet, social media and media platforms that are part of the government bureaucracy,” he said.
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Deputy Director General Aniceto “John" Bertiz III also expressed support for the bill.
“We have no objections to the said bill. Actually, this is a good measure because we can showcase our TESDA programs on this day,” he said.