Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte turned her focus on urging development partners to come together in ensuring the success of the country’s education agenda.
(Photo from Inday Sara Duterte via Facebook)
The official, who shared about her upcoming trip to Brunei Darussalam and Singapore as the chairperson of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), spoke during the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Partners Convergence at the National Museum on Thursday, May 25.
Stressing how education is one of the top priorities of the Marcos administration, Duterte took pride of how the country’s education sector received the highest budget with P895.2 billion in the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Out of this, DepEd received P678.3 billion for basic education.
But these allocations for basic education, Duterte said, are not enough to cover all the requirements needed in achieving the agency’s MATATAG Agenda, in basic education which details solutions to the problems that had “become inherent in the country’s basic education system.”
“Thus, partners and stakeholders who share our commitments are essential to delivering quality, inclusive, adaptive, resilient, and future-ready basic education for our 28 million Filipino learners across the nation,” the official explained.
“Let us give Filipino children a chance to compete on an equal playing field with the rest of the world. They are the future of our nation, and investing in their education today will bring great benefits to our country in years to come,” she added.
Duterte spoke in length about DepEd’s MATATAG Agenda and the problems that beset the country’s education sector.
“There is no denying that many of these problems are deeply ingrained in our basic education system — and some are deeply rooted in the reprehensible culture of corruption searing through the future of our learners,” she said.
“The MATATAG Agenda hopes to stop the bleeding,” she stated.
Aside from the national budget, the Vice President stressed the supplement funding for basic education through the local government units’ (LGUs) Special Education Fund (SEF) and the support extended by the foreign embassies based in the Philippines.
She added that Official Development Assistance (ODA) from various international development partners have allowed the department to implement innovative programs prioritizing intervention in finance, school infrastructure and facilities, administration, curriculum and teaching, human resources and organizational development, operations, and procurement.
“As we work towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in basic education, we must acknowledge that no organization or government can achieve them alone. We need strong partnerships that involve all actors, including the private sector, civil society, and local communities,” Duterte said.
“Let us stand firm in our commitment to building resilient communities of learners,” she added.
— Raymund Antonio
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