February 9, 2010 DO 8, s. 2010 – Summer Preschool Education (SumPSE): A Strategy to Reach More Children in Less Time

February 9, 2010
DO 8, s. 2010
Summer Preschool Education (SumPSE): A Strategy to Reach More Children in Less Time
  1. The Philippine Education For All (EFA) 2015 Plan of Action cites that attaining success in the first grade encourages children to stay-on and complete elementary education. This condition supports findings of worldwide studies that the quality of preschool experiences children are exposed to determine their performance in the higher grades. To make expansion of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) coverage yield more EFA benefits, there is a need to bring to fore the thrust to continue expansion of the ECCD coverage among all children aged three (3) to five (5) years old. The Department of Education (DepEd), in this case intensifies coverage of the preschool children who are the five (5)- year olds.
  2. While preschool education is not yet part of the educational ladder, the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE) has implemented Preschool Program since the 1970s. As of 2008, only forty two percent (42%) from public and private schools of the 2.19M preschoolers has been reached. This is a situation that contributes to the low readiness level of Grade I children in tackling academic work and leads to high incidence of frustration and non-readers which prevails until Grade III.
  3. To expand preschool education and ensure that all Grade I entrants shall have the necessary preparations to make them ready for the academic work, a Six- Week Summer Preschool Education Program shall be implemented in all schools from April 12 to May 21, 2010. This program will increase the number of the five (5)-year old children with preschool experiences from 919,800 to 1,659,800 or 42% to 76% respectively.
  4. Permanent preschool teachers and those Grade I teachers with Early Childhood Education (ECE) training shall handle the summer preschool classes. Enclosure No. 1 indicates the permanent teachers by division nationwide. A class shall have a minimum of twenty (20) and a maximum of twenty five (25) enrolment. For Multigrade schools, an enrolment of at least ten (10) can be considered a class since the prescribed class size may not always possible due to its location.
  5. Preschool and Grade I teachers who will handle summer preschool classes shall be paid an honorarium of Four Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (PhP4,500.00) to be charged against preschool funds to be downloaded to all Division Offices upon submission of the Report on Enrolment to the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE) on or before March 15, 2010.
  6. The detailed mechanics of implementation for the SumPSE is found in Enclosure No. 2.
  7. Immediate dissemination of and compliance with this Order is directed.

 

Sgd.
Jesli A. Lapus
Secretary
DO No. 8, s. 2010