The Department of Education (DepED) is set to embark on a national initiative that aims to set in motion a collaborative action to promote better numeracy and mathematics achievement in schools.

In DepEd Memorandum No. 110 s. of 2022 signed by Education Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Epimaco Densing III, DepED announced the creation of the Steering Committee (SC) and Technical Working Group (TWG) for the development of the National Mathematics Program.

“The urgency to recover from the adverse impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on learning outcomes is an opportunity for reform in the Philippine basic education sector,” DepED said.

“To build back better, greater attention must be directed toward helping Filipino learners gain the foundational competencies they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world,” it added.

DepED noted that one of the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) is to “ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.”

The agency noted that “being numerate goes beyond mastery of basic mathematics; it is being critically aware of connections between mathematics and the real world.”

However, DepED said that in the most recent cycles of three recent international large-scale assessments, “most Filipino students lag significantly behind in mathematics achievement” for their respective grades.

“Given the elevated expectations to effectively reduce learning gaps and help students acquire a wider range of competencies, a significant investment in numeracy and mathematics development especially in the elementary grades is highly imperative,” DepED said.

In line with the vision of the Basic Education Development Plan 2030, the DepEd said that it will embark on a national initiative that aims to “set in motion a collaborative action to promote better numeracy and mathematics achievement in schools.”

Steering Committee, Technical Working Group

DepEd said that a Steering Committee (SC) and Technical Working Group (TWG) will be created for the program.

The SC will be chaired by Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction Gina Gonong. Assistant Secretary for Alternative Learning System G.H. S. Ambat and Assistant Secretary for Curriculum and Instruction Alma Ruby C. Torio will serve as vice chairpersons.

The SC will be responsible for defining and approving the strategic orientations and workplan of the program, and any changes thereto, taking into consideration its impact on timelines, budget, and deliverables following applicable guidelines.

It will also be in charge of reviewing the progress of the program against the approved work plan and will guide on adjusting project strategies and resolving identified issues and risks.

The SC will also support the communication and dissemination of key project information and guide the development of partnerships with relevant stakeholders.

The TWG, on the hand, will be chaired by Bureau of Learning Delivery Director Leila P. Areola and vice-chaired by Bureau of Curriculum Development Director Jocelyn DR. Andaya.

The TWG is expected to formulate the design of the proposed National Mathematics Program, including the work plan that sets the expected deliverables, budget, and timelines following applicable rules and regulations.

It is also expected to gather local and international data to establish baseline information on critical features of successful numeracy and mathematics initiatives and develop implementation strategies to operationalize the National Mathematics Program.

The TWG will also be responsible for establishing a national mathematics database; monitoring the progress of the implementation of the program, and providing regular updates to the SC.