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- EDD K. USMAN | Twitter: @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 | Facebook: SDN — SciTech and Digital News
(SDN) — Vice President and Education Secretary Sara “Inday Sara” Duterte led the launch on January 23 of an initiative aimed at strengthening student learning outcomes in three regions of the country.
This is the Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Project (TEACEP), which will be implemented in Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX), SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII), and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
In her speech at the launch event, the Mindanao native sent her love to the BARMM government headed by Chief Minister Ahod Balawag “Al-Haj Murad” Ebrahim.
She extended her “appreciation to the government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for being our enthusiastic partner in our initiatives for the region.”
The Vice President, former mayor of Davao City, is known to include in her every speech the universal Islamic greeting “Assalamu alikum” (Peace be upon you), and concludes with “Shukran” (Thank you), apparently a nod to her solidarity with Muslims in the Philippines.
“TEACEP,” Duterte pointed out, “is DepEd’s best investment for enriching the lives of (two) million elementary learners and thousands (of) teachers and school leaders in these regions.”
Note that the three regions are all in Mindanao, apparently to respond to what she described as “big challenges” in Southern Philippines affecting the quality of education.
“In Mindanao, where we live, we are dealing with some big challenges. Things like conflicts, natural disasters, and poverty have made it harder for us to progress compared to other parts of the Philippines. The World Bank’s data shows that we also have more students dropping out of school, fewer youth going to school compared to the rest of the country, and our students are not doing as well in reading and math. Plus, there are a significant number of indigenous and disadvantaged people in our communities,” Duterte points out.
The Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) head said the launch day of TEACEP signals a move forward towards “improved teacher professional development and competency standards in the three select regions.
She emphasized a collective effort to transforming Mindanao, once torn by decades of Moro rebellion for the right to self-determination.
“We have all been working together to make Mindanao better, and that is our greatest strength and hope. But these realities cannot be ignored. We believe that with research and planning, we can find solutions to these problems in our own fields and make a real difference in our region,” she said.
Duterte assured a collective commitment to the MATATAG Agenda, which the DepEd launched last year to augment K-12 Program, adding, it “is stronger than ever, and we have prioritized enabling the support to improve our teachers’ skills.”
In the implementation of TEACEP, she thanked its partners such as the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and with assistance from oversight agencies, such as the Department of Finance (DOF), Department of the Budget and Management (DBM), and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). She lauded the three partners for being “our continuous support in learning recovery and acceleration.”
Philippine Country Director Dr. Ndiamé Diop represented the World Bank-IBRD in the launch of TEACEP.
“(W)e are working to strengthen student learning outcomes in Zamboanga Peninsula, SOCCSKSARGEN, and BARMM through the Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Project, or TEACEP,” she stressed.
The DepEd secretary laid down TEACEP’s clear goal, whic is improving the quality and equity of instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 6, teacher ‘s competencies and quality, and formulation of policies and interventions that support learning at the school level.
The implementation of the project has three components, such as:
- 1) Offering coaching programs to give teachers and school leaders the support they need,
- 2) Providing adequate resources for effective teaching and learning, and
- 3) Improving project management, monitoring, and evaluation.
In the course of the program’s run, she assured that DepEd will be open to getting feedback on how it can be improved and made better to help schools raise quality and learning resources.
“Through TEACEP, Radio-Based Instruction (RBI) will also continue to be recognized and leveraged as this was very helpful in contributing to the resilience of the education system during the pandemic and in calamity-stricken areas. For the Last Mile Schools of the target regions, TEACEP will provide funding for airing effective RBI programs and transistor radios with built-in lights to learners and teachers.
“This initiative will also help the Department in implementing the MATATAG Agenda in the target regions as it will focus on enhancing literacy, numeracy, socio-emotional skills, peacebuilding, gender-sensitivity, climate and disaster resilience, and inclusive education, which are highlighted in the progression of the implementation of the revised curriculum.
“TEACEP is DepEd’s best investment for enriching the lives of 2 million elementary learners and 60 thousand teachers and school leaders in the regions,” Duterte said.
Duterte cited the significance of TEACEP, stressing this “to make sure that our teachers and learners are given the utmost support they truly deserve to achieve learning outcomes at the right time. It is also our responsibility to ensure that quality education will be delivered, especially to those who are in the far-flung corners of the country.”
On August 10, 2023, Duterte led the launch of the MATATAG K to 10 Curriculum at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel in Metro Manila. MATATAG was designed to make teaching and learning easier for teachers and learners.
The MATATAG Curriculum, which does not replace the K to 12 Program, is the result of an “extensive and painstaking” review of the K to 12 that started in the time of the then Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor M. Briones. (/)