President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has admitted that the government has failed Filipino learners, so he committed to invest in them and their teachers by building more infrastructure conducive to learning.
Marcos acknowledged that in order to "become the great Filipinos that we know they can be", this administration must confront the challenges and issues the education sector is facing.
"We have failed them. We have to admit that. We have failed our children and let us now keep failing them anymore. Otherwise, we will not allow them to become the great Filipinos that we know they can be," the President said during the presentation of the Basic Education Report of the Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday, Jan. 30.
He recognized that among the main issues the DepEd is facing is the lack of infrastructure appropriate for learning. He reaffirmed during the event that his administration will try to provide a solution to this.
"We will build infrastructure that will provide our learners, teachers, and the entire academic sector with a healthy and safe environment that is conducive to learning," he said.
The chief executive also underscored the need to invest in both the learners and teachers as a part of improving the country's educational system.
"We will also invest in our teachers as we all know that is part of the most – that is part of our improving our educational system. If you saw the Senate President and myself talking earlier, we are already planning on how we get the school building program off the ground so that the deficiencies that we saw in the report will somehow be mitigated," he said.
Marcos said by investing in teachers, he meant to offer them multiple opportunities that meet both their personal and professional needs.
He said the government will offer them the support they need in terms of resources, programs, and policies so that they can effectively perform their roles as teachers and mentors of our children.
"It is my firm belief that quality teachers yield hard-working, productive, and law-abiding citizens," he said.
He further said that the current administration will invest in learners by giving them the right tools and mechanisms that they need in their day-to-day schooling.
He also told the DepEd to take advantage of the new technologies and innovations that will provide learners convenience and efficiency in their pursuit of learning.
"Aside from advancing their academic competencies, it is also imperative that we hone them to become productive and responsible members of our society," Marcos said.
He then enjoined the education sector to join hands and act in unison to build "the best education system that the Philippines has ever seen."
"We owe it to our children to prioritize their well-being and give them the highest possible quality of education so they may become the innovators and the leaders of tomorrow not only of the Philippines but of the world," he added.