MANILA CITY, May 25, 2023— Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines and Secretary of Education Sara Z. Duterte unveiled the seven (7) priority points for the intervention of the Department of Education (DepEd) in support of its MATATAG Agenda during the Partners Convergence held on Thursday at the National Museum of Natural History, Luneta Park.

“As we work towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in basic education, we must acknowledge that no organization or government can achieve them alone. We need strong partnerships that involve all actors, including the private sector, civil society, and local communities,” Vice President and Secretary Duterte said.

Participated by education partners, stakeholders, representatives from embassies, and local government units, the Partners Convergence is the result of various engagement with the Official Development Assistance (ODA) and local partners to align existing and future partners’ projects to the MATATAG Agenda.

According to VP Sara, the Agency’s Finance strand plans to capacitate employees on loan management systems and host financial literacy programs for DepEd personnel and learners. Meanwhile, the School Infrastructure and Facilities strand will prioritize interventions enabling DepEd to construct and rehabilitate classrooms, build disaster-resilient schools, retrofit classrooms, and provide electrification and connectivity programs.

Moreover, the Administration strand plans to digitize forms, enhance existing systems, and provide assistance in its parametric and indemnity insurance for public schools.

For Curriculum and Teaching, VP-Sec. Duterte mentioned strengthening the Literacy and Numeracy Programs, reviewing Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education, digitizing national assessments, and strengthening inclusive education programs and teaching approaches.

Furthermore, the Education Secretary bared the plans of the Human Resources and Organizational Development strand for the development of quality assurance effectiveness, upscaling of the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines, and knowledge sharing from the partners in their expertise as their priority intervention programs.

The DepEd’s Operations strand, on the other hand, plans to provide mobile medical and dental clinics, enhanced school-based feeding programs, learner rights and protection mechanisms, mental health programs, learner and youth program development, and the farm-to-table nutrition project of DepEd.

Additionally, the Procurement strand seeks to improve the Department’s procurement processes through continuous capacity building for its personnel and processes digitalization.

The event also served as a platform for the education secretary to thank and recognize the unwavering commitment of local government units and its local and Official Development Assistance (ODA) partners that reaffirmed their commitment by signing the “MATATAG Partner Ako” commitment wall.

“To be part of a movement that has the power to transform lives and communities. It means collaborating, learning, and growing together toward our shared goal of creating a better world through education,” she stated.

Manila City Mayor Maria Sheilah Honorado “Honey” Lacuna-Pangan, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay L. Carlson, Aboitiz Foundation President and CEO Sabin M. Aboitiz, and Governor Dakila Carlo E. Cua also expressed their support to the Department.

“Learning lies in the heart of our shared goal, it is our duty to provide quality education that equips our students with the necessary skills, knowledge, and values to strive in the ever-evolving world,” Governor Cua said.

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