BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

As he approaches his 100th day in office, Education Secretary Sonny Angara urged the support of the private sector to help bridge important gaps in the education sector during a luncheon meeting hosted by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) on Wednesday.

“With your support, we can transform this massive system into a force for positive change. I hope you join me not just in my first 100 days, but also in hundreds more to come. DepEd may be the largest, but with partners like you, we’re certainly not the loneliest,” Sec. Angara said.

Sec. Angara noted that the Department is keen to collaborate with private organizations, particularly in areas such as laptops, resources, electrification, educational technology, infrastructures, and support for children with special needs.

“The private sector has always been our accountability partner. In a cycle of leadership changes, they help ensure that programs continue,” he noted.

The DepEd Chief also shared the progress made by DepEd in his first 100 days in office, following President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos’ directive to secure the basic services and prepare learners for work.

“We made the curriculum more flexible to maximize the learning time of students. We created a PISA Task Force to prepare our students for the upcoming international assessment. We’re assessing our reading interventions and Senior High School curriculum,” he added.

Sec. Angara further emphasized efforts to improve teacher support, including the review of the Teacher Development Plan, policy on career progression, and additional benefits, “Our teachers need policies that give them more: more time to teach, more resources for their lessons, more salary in their bank accounts. They require sturdy career progress and reliable support like guidance counselors, both currently lacking in our system.”

In addition, he underscored existing partnerships with organizations like Khan Academy, Frontlearners, iamtheCODE, Jollibee, Rebisco, and Milo, as well as international bodies such as the World Bank and UNICEF to strengthen DepEd programs.

The ECCP luncheon served as a platform for discussion between the government and the private sector on pressing national matters like DepEd’s educational initiatives emerging as a key concern for stakeholders.

*All Photos from DepEd