department of Education

Bam: K to 12 exceeds expectations with 1.5M enrollees in Senior High School

The K to 12 program exceeded expectations with the number of enrollees in Senior High Schools (SHS) surpassing the 1.5-million mark for school year 2016-17.

 This was reported by the Department of Education (DepEd), led by Sec. Leonor Briones, during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture on the status of the K to 12 education program.

 “This figure debunks news reports on inaccessible senior high schools,” said Sen. Bam Aquino, chairman of the Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.

 Of the 1,517,610 SHS enrollees, 1,460,970 were Grade 10 completers, 54,262 were Balik-Aral students and 2,378 were Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) passers.

 According to Sec. Briones, the number of Grade 10 completers who continued to SHS was equivalent to 98 percent of the students who finished Grade 10.

 “The fact that so many continued on to senior high school shows that if the state provides free schooling, Filipinos will seize the opportunity to get an education,” Sen. Bam said.

 However, Sen. Bam stressed that this high turn out brings added challenges like backlogs in classrooms and trained teachers.

 “We need to work quickly to meet these challenges head on and make free access to quality education a reality for every Filipino family,” Sen. Bam asserted.

BIDA KA!: Isang Simpleng Parangal sa ating Big Brother

Mga bida, isa sa mga hinahangaan at tinitingala kong personalidad ay si dating Education Sec. Bro. Armin Luistro, isa sa pinakamasipag na miyembro ng Gabinete sa nakaraang administrasyon.

Nagsimula si Bro. Armin bilang religion teacher sa De La Salle Lipa noong dekada otsenta. Mula noon, umangat siya sa posisyon at naging pinuno ng walong institusyon ng De La Salle bilang pangulo at CEO ng De La Salle Philippines (DLSP).

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Noong 2010, sa unang pagkakataon ay sumabak si Bro. Armin sa paglilingkod sa gobyerno nang italaga siyang kalihim ng Department of Education (DepEd).

Agad napasabak sa mga hamon si Bro. Armin. Sinalubong siya ng katakut-takot na problema, gaya ng kakulangan na 61.7 milyon sa libro, 2.5 milyon sa upuan, 66,800 silid aralan at 145,827 guro.

Maliban pa rito, si Bro. Armin din ang naatasan sa preparasyon at paglalatag ng kontrobersiyal na K to 12 Program.

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Hindi naman nagpatinag si Bro. Armin sa mga gabundok na problema na sinalo ng Aquino government na kailangan niyang tugunan.

Hinarap niya ang mga problemang ito para na rin sa kapakanan ng milyun-milyong estudyante sa buong Pilipinas.

Sa gitna ng batikos sa kanyang bawat kilos at galaw, epektibo at tahimik na nagampanan ni Bro. Armin ang tungkulin.

Sa isang panayam kay Bro. Armin bago siya bumaba sa puwesto, sinabi niyang nabura ang backlog sa silid aralan nang makapagpatayo ang ahensiya ng 118,000 bagong classrooms mula 2010 hanggang 2016.

Maliban dito, may 66,000 pang classrooms ang kasalukuyan nang itinatayo kaya aakyat sa 185,000 ang silid aralan na naipatayo sa ilalim ng dating administrasyon.

Nasolusyunan din ang kakulangan sa guro sa pagkuha ng mahigit 258,000 guro mula 2010 hanggang 2016.

Isinulong din ni Luistro ang pagpapaganda ng pasilidad, paglalagay ng internet at ICT at makabagong modules para mapaganda ang kalidad ng edukasyon sa bansa.

Pinangunahan din ni Luistro ang maayos na pagpapatupad ng K to 12 Program, kabilang ang pagsisimula ng unang batch ng Grade 11 noong Hunyo.

Nabawasan din ng halos kalahati ang bilang ng out-of-school youth sa bansa sa pamamagitan ng Abot Alam Program.

Dahil nakita kong epektibo ang nasabing programa, isinumite ko ang Senate Bill No. 172 o ang Abot Alam Bill upang maipatupad ito sa buong bansa.

Kapag naisabatas, tutugon ito sa pangangailangan ng mga kabataang Pinoy na may edad pito hanggang 24 na hindi nag-aaral sa paglikha ng programa na magbibigay ng edukasyon sa bawat Pilipino, lalo na ang out-of-school youth (OSY).

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Naisip ko na bakit hindi ipinagmamalaki ni Bro. Armin ang kanyang mga nagawa.

Pero naalala ko ang kanyang binanggit noon na ito’y tungkulin natin bilang lingkod-bayan at hindi dapat mag-antay ng anumang kapalit at mga papuri dahil ito’y para sa pangangailangan at kapakanan ng taumbayan.

Maliban pa rito, palagi ko ring naririnig na sinasabi ni Bro. Armin na kahit maraming batikos sa pagganap niya ng tungkulin na makapaglingkod sa kapwa, lalo siyang napapalapit sa Diyos.

Ang tagumpay ni Bro. Armin sa kabila ng mabigat na hamon ay nagbibigay sa akin ng inspirasyon upang pagbutihin pa ang paglilingkod sa taumbayan.

Umaasa tayong marami pang Bro. Armin ang lilitaw at magsisilbi sa pamahalaan.

Article first published on Abante Online

 

Bam: Help DepEd Prepare for K-to-12 Challenges

Senator Bam Aquino urges different stakeholders to help the Department of Education (DepEd) prepare for the challenges ahead regarding the K-to-12 Program, instead of tearing down this crucial educational reform initiative.

“The challenges ahead are real but we still have time. Change is difficult. Reforms are difficult but they need to be done,” said Aquino during the Senate Committee on Education hearing on the implementation of the K-to-12 program.

“From where we are now and where we need to be next year, needs a lot of cooperation from many different sectors,” the senator stressed.

Sen. Bam suggested the creation of K to 12 Local Readiness Councils composed of teachers, parents and businesses to help address any gaps left for the K-to-12 Program.

“The DepEd can convert existing Brigada Eskwela structures in localities to be their main partners on the ground to support the K to 12 implementation,” suggested Sen. Bam, chairman of the Senate Committee on Youth.

During the hearing, Sen. Bam emphasized that concerned government agencies must be prepared for challenges ahead as they implement the program that is expected to modernize the country’s educational system.

“Now is the time to work together for our youth, not tear down reforms that we need to be globally competitive,” added Sen. Bam.

DepEd officials, led by Secretary Armin Luistro, expressed confidence that the department can fill up around 30,000 vacant teaching positions needed to effectively implement the program.

“We need to ensure that we can get teachers who are competent and have the right discipline to match the needs the schools have,” Sen. Bam said.

During its presentation, the DepEd said it is currently training 70,000-plus teachers for elementary and 80,000-plus teachers for high school as of 2015 to prepare them for the program.

“We’ve been doing the reforms for five years now.  Ngayon pa ba tayo bibitiw? Kailangan lahat ay kasama rito – ang pamahalaan, ang private schools, ang mga teachers’ groups, mga estudyante, pati business sector – dapat magkaisa sa pagpapatupad ng repormang ito,” the senator said.

 The DepEd also plans to conduct a massive information campaign, including the establishment of help desks in schools, to enlighten the public about the program.

“The Philippine education reform is not only the DepEd’s responsibility, it’s everyone’s responsibility,” added the senator.

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