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March 04, 2022 – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte lauded Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones for her ‘splendid work’ in advancing reforms in the basic education system of the country.

“Alam ko ‘yung fervor mo sa edukasyon ng mga batang Pilipino and I have always relied on your wisdom to do what is next, kung anong gagawin. And so far, I said, that is splendid work done by you to further the cause of education,” President Duterte said during the “Talk To The People” briefing on February 29.

Pres. Duterte also acknowledged the Education Chief’s commitment to advance the education sector in the country and her genuine concern for Filipino learners.

“Hindi talaga rin ako nagkamali sa pagkuha sa’yo. I knew that you would be of great help – this is not to flatter you – to the education of the Filipino young people. And again, I thank you also for your dedication,” he added.

Secretary Briones expressed gratitude to the President for trusting her knowledge and expertise and supporting her decisions and vision for the Department.

“We are grateful to President Duterte for recognizing our efforts and work in DepEd. Your constant affirmations help us boost the morale of the whole Department from our top officials to our regional directors, school heads, and teachers on the ground,” she said.

During the briefing, Sec. Briones shared that one of her administration’s major contributions is strengthening regional offices by giving them the authority to decide based on their analysis of the actual situation and solve specific problems in their units.

“Isang malaking contribution ‘yan, the strengthening of the regional units because we have to decentralize dahil napakalaki ng Department of Education. The superintendents are empowered. That is our policy, and I think it’s a major contribution of the department that we have developed very strong regional units,” Briones noted.

Moreover, DepEd hopes to continue the blended learning approach and implement protocols for face-to-face classes as NCR and 38 other areas are put under the Alert Level 1 starting on March 1.

“This Friday, mag-usap ang Department of Health at saka ang DepEd para pag-usapan kung alin ang mga protocols na puwedeng i-relax kasi right now, 6,145 ang nag-qualify. Pero sa tingin namin, baka dadami pa ‘yan kasi Level 1 na tayo. Wala na tayong Level 3,” Briones said.

“Itong Alert Level 1, will be aligned to ‘yung sinasabi nating impending return to normalcy sa ating ekonomiya, sa ating society, dahil luluwag din ang mga requirements natin para sa edukasyon,” Sec. Briones added.

 

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