PASAY CITY, January 31, 2023 – Education stakeholders, led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., signified their support for DepEd after Vice President and Secretary of Education Sara Z. Duterte delivered her first Basic Education Report (BER) held at Pasay on Monday.

“All of us have roles to play. We have parts to contribute. Let me issue a challenge to you all to become active key players in these efforts. Let us join hands and act in unison as we build the best education system that the Philippines have ever seen,” President Marcos Jr. stated in his keynote speech.

“We owe it to our children to prioritize their wellbeing and give them the highest possible quality of education so they may become the innovators and the learners of tomorrow, not only in the Philippines but of the world,” he added.

The event served as an avenue for the education stakeholders to convene and discuss the current landscape of basic education in the country and reaffirm their commitments to support the Department and its programs.

President Marcos Jr. then joined VP Sara in signing their pledge of commitment to MATATAG: Bansang Makabata, Batang Makabansa, the newly-unveiled education agenda of the Department. Senators Miguel Zubiri, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Rep. Roman Romulo also joined the ceremonial signing.

The MATATAG Agenda envisions implementing resilient reforms in the curriculum, education services, and provision of facilities, learner wellbeing, and teacher support programs.

Meanwhile, education partners also provided insight into the current situations on learning poverty, curriculum, learner and teacher welfare and graduate employability at the start of the program.

“The challenges facing Philippine basic education today did not happen overnight and will not be solved overnight. Overcoming them requires sustained national political and societal commitment from the highest political levels to all members of the society,” World Bank Country Director for the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Brunei Ndiamè Diop said.

World Bank, UNICEF, Assessment, Curriculum, and Technology Research Centre (ACTRC), Philippine National Research Center for Teacher Quality (RCTQ) of the Philippine Normal University (PNU), and Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) were among the five partners who have promised continuous support to the Department.

“The Filipino children’s journey in basic education is challenging, especially for the most vulnerable and marginalized. But the fact that we are gathered here today is a testament that we are ready to face the challenges together,” UNICEF Representative to the Philippines Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov expressed.

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