Education Secretary Leonor Briones expressed her gratitude to President Duterte for “trusting her knowledge and expertise” and supporting her decisions and vision for the Department of Education (DepEd).
“We are grateful to President Duterte for recognizing our efforts and work in DepEd,” Briones said in a statement issued Friday, March 4.
“Your constant affirmations help us boost the morale of the whole Department from our top officials to our regional directors, school heads, and teachers on the ground,” she added.
During the “Talk To The People” briefing on Feb. 29, President Duterte lauded Briones for her “splendid work” in advancing reforms in the basic education system of the country.
Duterte recognized Briones’ fervor for the education of Filipino learners. “I have always relied on your wisdom to do what is next...and so far, I said, that is splendid work done by you to further the cause of education,” he added.
The President also acknowledged the commitment of Briones to advance the education sector in the country and her genuine concern for Filipino learners.
Duterte said that appointing Briones as DepEd Secretary was the right decision. “I knew that you would be of great help – this is not to flatter you – to the education of the Filipino young people. And again, I thank you also for your dedication,” he added.
During the briefing, Briones also shared that one of her administration’s major contributions is strengthening regional offices by giving them the authority to decide based on their analysis of the actual situation and solve specific problems in their units.
“Isang malaking contribution ‘yan (That is a big contribution), the strengthening of the regional units because we have to decentralize,” Briones said, referring to the mere size of DepEd which is considered the country’s largest bureaucracy.
“The superintendents are empowered. That is our policy, and I think it’s a major contribution of the department that we have developed very strong regional units,” Briones said.
Meanwhile, DepEd hopes to continue the blended learning approach and implement protocols for face-to-face classes as Metro Manila and 38 other areas are put under the Alert Level 1 starting on March 1.
“Itong (This) Alert Level 1, will be aligned to ‘yung sinasabi nating (what we call the) impending return to normalcy sa ating (in our) ekonomiya, sa ating (in our) society, dahil luluwag din ang mga requirements natin para sa edukasyon (because our requirements for education will also be relaxed),” Briones said.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2022/03/02/deped-expects-more-schools-to-hold-face-to-face-classes-as-ph-downgrades-covid-19-restrictions/