Starting in November, public school teachers and staff nationwide will gain free access to Canva for Education, along with training, through a new partnership between the Department of Education (DepEd) and Canva Philippines.

On Wednesday, Oct. 30, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara signed a partnership agreement with Canva Philippines to launch Canva for Education. The aim is to enhance digital design and creativity in Filipino classrooms and equip teachers with user-friendly tools for more interactive learning experiences.

During the ceremonial signing, Angara was joined by Her Excellency HK Yu PSM, FCPA (Aust), the Australian Ambassador to the Philippines; Canva Philippines Country Lead Yani Hornilla-Donato; and Marketing and Content Discovery Lead Maisie Littaua of Canva Philippines.

Building ‘incubators’

Angara noted that President Marcos, in his State of the Nation Address (SONA), stated that classrooms should be “incubators of creativity and innovation.”

“With this partnership, we’re building those incubators, one design at a time,” Secretary Angara said.

Under the phased rollout, select teachers and central office staff will benefit from pilot training using Canva’s design platform through their official DepEd email. The program will also be extended to the 17 regions starting January 2025.

Embracing digital and design literacy

Hornilla-Donato expressed excitement over the partnership, noting that this collaboration would help teachers and learners embrace digital and design literacy.

“Visual communication is fast becoming a must-have skill in today’s workplace, and it’s time for classrooms in the Philippines to fully embrace the power of digital and design literacy,” she said.

Through the partnership with DepEd, Hornilla-Donato stated that teachers and students would be empowered with the tools and technology they need to “spark creativity and collaboration.”

“We’re thrilled about DepEd’s support in this rollout, and we can’t wait to see how this empowers Filipino teachers and students nationwide,” she added.

21st-century learning

Canva for Education is a comprehensive visual communication platform offered at no cost to all K to 12 schools, teachers, and students.

It provides access to Canva’s premium features, enabling teachers and students to create, collaborate, and communicate visually in a more engaging way.

Through Canva for Education, teachers and students will enjoy free access to thousands of templates, interactive presentation tools, and a variety of design resources.

Yu lauded the swift action of Angara’s team on the partnership with Canva for Education, which will provide learners and educators with the tools for 21st-century learning.

“What I didn’t expect was how quickly this was going to happen under Secretary Angara’s leadership,” she said.

“It was literally only a few months ago when he was first appointed that I called on him to emphasize how the Australian government would continue to support improvements in your education system,” she added.

Teachers and staff can access Canva for Education for free by logging in at www.canva.com using their DepEd email address. More information about the initiative is available at the dedicated DepEd Resource Hub on Canva at http://canvaph.com/deped-resourcehub.