The Department of Education (DepEd), under the leadership of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, sought the assistance of its partners to implement priority interventions and key reform objectives for the country’s basic education sector.
(Photo courtesy of DepEd)
In a statement issued Wednesday, May 3, DepEd said that its key officials presented the agency’s priority interventions to the Official Development Assistance (ODA) and local partners in a convergence meeting at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Headquarters.
“The Department of Education gives a special place to our partners,” said Education Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla.
“We have to realize that the DepEd's goal to provide quality and accessible basic education to all Filipino learners requires collaboration and a helping hand from organizations and stakeholders like you,” she added.
Sevilla also presented its key reform objectives that focus on several programs geared towards the digitalization of finance processes.
The Finance Strand, which Sevilla heads, also aims to prioritize scholarships including capacity building on loan management, and financial literacy programs for DepEd personnel.
The School Infrastructure and Facilities strand, led by Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III, requests assistance from the partners in addressing classroom shortages through construction or rehabilitation, building disaster-resilient schools, retrofitting classrooms, and electrification programs.
He also shared with the partners that “more than a million of learners are still conducting classes under a makeshift/temporary classrooms or some are under the trees.”
DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Kristian Ablan also discussed possible collaborations with partners on DepEd initiatives in the digitization of forms, enhancement of existing systems, and assistance for its parametric and indemnity insurance for public schools.
Curriculum and Teaching (CT) Strand Undersecretary Gina Gonong said that they will focus priority interventions on strengthening its literacy and numeracy programs, review the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE), digitizing national assessments, strengthening of inclusive education program, and inclusive teaching approaches, among others.
The CT is considered one of the main pillars of the MATATAG Agenda.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2023/01/30/deped-launches-matatag-agenda-to-resolve-challenges-in-basic-education/
Meanwhile, Undersecretary for Human Resource and Organizational Development (HROD) Gloria Jumamil-Mercado presented the development of quality assurance effectiveness, upscaling of the National Educators' Academy of the Philippines, and knowledge sharing from the partners in their expertise as their priority programs for interventions.
DepEd Assistant Secretary for Operations Dexter Galban also presented the mobile medical and dental clinics project of the strand as a program consideration for the partners.
He also discussed the school-based feeding program, learner rights and protection mechanisms, mental health program, learner and youth program development, and the farm-to-table nutrition project of DepEd as the main programs of the Agency promoting learner welfare, as stated in the MATATAG Agenda.
DepEd Assistant Secretary Omar Alexander Romero, on the other hand, discussed the plans of the Procurement strand to improve the procurement processes of the Department through continuous capacity building and digitalization.
This convergence meeting wrapped up the preliminary activities of DepEd for the Partners’ Forum on May 25.
The first meeting held in Baguio City involved DepEd Central Office and Regional Officers for the development of the menu of interventions.