PASIG CITY, September 16, 2019 – Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones and Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Moragas agreed during a courtesy call on August 28 to renew ties for the promotion and teaching of Spanish language and culture in the Philippines.
The Spanish ambassador expressed their country’s intention to continuously work with DepEd by enhancing collaboration on teacher training through their Language Assistance Program (LAP). Through this program, Spain shall hire around 200 teachers every year to teach the English language in Spain.
The ambassador said that they regularly conduct seminars for LAP participants and they aim to partner with DepEd so that these seminars would be organized and certified by the Department. They proposed for a pilot test for 10 individuals from 2020 to 2021 and a possible memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the partnership.
Moragas also proposed that since the Philippines lacks Spanish language teachers, DepEd should send teachers to Spain for cultural exchange.
“We appreciate you for taking the initiative in visiting us and sharing the state of Spanish language teaching. As you know, we are offering it at the high school level,” Briones said, referring to DepEd’s Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL).
Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones and Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Moragas agreed to renew ties for the promotion and teaching of Spanish language and culture in the Philippines during a courtesy call on August 28, 2019 at DepEd Central Office.
Both parties concurred to review, update details, and finalize the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on SPFL, which is expected to be renewed and approved soon.
“We are here to talk about the teaching of Spanish as one of the seven languages for our high school students. I’ve read the MOU and I would be very happy to sign it now because it’s an extension of what we have done before,” the Secretary emphasized.
Also present in the meeting were Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction Diosdado San Antonio, Special Curricular Program Division OIC-Chief Education Program Specialist Rosa Ligaya Domingo, Senior Education Program Specialist Tina Amor Buhat, and Embassy of Spain Counsellor of Education David Ferran Priestley, and Spanish Embassy’s Education Advisor Sandra Lozano-Alberich.
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