Marcos tells DepEd: Build schools faster, buy more books | ABS-CBN

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Marcos tells DepEd: Build schools faster, buy more books

Marcos tells DepEd: Build schools faster, buy more books

Joyce Balancio,

ABS-CBN News

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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte lead the launch of Brigada Eskwela at the V. Mapa High School in Manila on August 14, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File 
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte lead the launch of Brigada Eskwela at the V. Mapa High School in Manila on August 14, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday expressed support for the programs and commitments that Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte mentioned in this year’s Basic Education Report.

At the same time, he advised the Department of Education on what else needed to be done to transform the country’s education system.

“I’m happy to note that this report, the Basic Education Report, is candid, clear, comprehensive, and I think you will agree, quite compelling. So, certainly, the milestones achieved so far deserve our congratulations,” Marcos said in his speech at Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City.

“The building blocks of a modern, responsive educational system have now been laid. It is something we have waited for, for many, many, many years. At this juncture in our transformational journey, my instruction is simply this: padayon, padayon, padayon,” he said.

Marcos told DepEd to speed up the construction of more “disaster-resilient” classrooms, laboratories, and schools.

“As you build and repair classrooms, let us be mindful [that] storms and earthquakes are not getting any less frequent and neither are they getting any weaker. That is why we are putting more emphasis on the quality of schools that we build,” Marcos said.

“Nagbabago na ang panahon, kaya kailangan na rin magbago ang ating pamamaraan ng konstruksyon, hindi lang sa mga paaralan kung hindi sa lahat ng proyektong imprastruktura,” he added.

He said he expects DepEd to expand WiFi services in schools.

The President said he also hoped to see more books for the blind and other “assistive equipment” for children with special needs.

“We cannot mainstream those in the margins if resources for them are miniscule,” he said.

Marcos urged the Department of Health to work closely with DepEd to strengthen school-based health facilities and dental clinics.

“Every school will steadfastly stand as a no-bully zone; a sanctuary for diversity, a resource center for teens, a psychosocial first aid center, a mental health nurturer, a bulwark against the drug menace. A safe space for all. And most importantly, a safe space for our children,” Marcos said.

He reminded DepEd that teachers “should be at the center of the great reform movement.”

“When it comes to reforms, they are not mere passive recipients or alienated implementers. They are much more than that. Teachers are incubators of ideas. Teachers are innovators,” Marcos said.

“Those who teach must continually train, and we will roll out those programs to upskill competencies, drawn from experiences and tested best practices,” he added.

Meanwhile, the President praised the pilot-testing of the revised K to 10 curriculum.

“We are decongesting the curriculum, with a focus on the development of foundational skills. I’m happy that the DepEd is piloting a new K to 10 curriculum in 35 schools across the region,” Marcos said.

Schools in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Visayas, Central Mindanao, the Cordilleras, Metro Manila and Caraga have started the pilot implementation of the said curriculum.

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The President said he supports DepEd’s “remedial initiatives”, such the summer learning camps and “Catch-up Fridays.”

Marcos also thanked Duterte for taking on the “most difficult mandate” of supervising one of the country’s biggest government agencies.

“I thus call on everyone to join us in this daunting but extremely rewarding endeavor under a Bagong Pilipinas, marked by a MATATAG education system that paves the way for a more empowered, secure, and progressive future,” Marcos said.

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