By Brian Campued
Four years into the administration, education remains on top of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s priorities, with programs and reforms being implemented to strengthen the sector and better prepare Filipinos for future career opportunities.
In his 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa on Monday, the President underscored the role of technical-vocational education in improving employability, citing an 81-percent placement rate for technical-vocational education and training (TVET) graduates.
He cited reskilling and upskilling programs such as Tsuper Iskolar and En-TSUPER-neur, which provide drivers with alternative livelihood skills, as well as training programs of the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Agriculture that equip farmers and fisherfolk with new competencies.
With the reforms implemented in the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum, Tech-Pro has been integrated through a ladderized approach, allowing graduates to use their National Certificates (NCs) as a foundation for pursuing higher education.
Employability of Senior High School graduates has also been enhanced through the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fairs. SHS graduates are likewise eligible for first-level government positions.
“Ngunit patuloy pa rin nating pinalalakas ang curriculum ng Senior High upang lalong maihanda ang estudyante para sa tunay na mundo. Pinaigting ang work immersion para maranasan nila nang personal ang paghahanapbuhay sa kanilang gustong larangan,” President Marcos said.
In line with the government’s digital transformation drive, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) continues to provide high-impact digital skills training to help Filipinos thrive in the digital economy.
“AI (artificial intelligence) is here to stay; and so we adopt it to harness its potential to enhance critical sectors, from our educational system to our industries,” Marcos said, adding that the government’s AI readiness programs have already reached at least 1.8 million individuals, including students, parents, and teachers.
Meanwhile, to encourage more young Filipinos to complete college, the President touted the newly launched Bagong Pilipinas Presidential Scholarship program, under which the Office of the President provides P100,000 in educational assistance to five students in every barangay nationwide.
He likewise announced that the government would feed more than 4.5 million Kinder and Grade 1 learners through the Department of Education’s (DepEd) expanded school-based feeding program.
“Edukasyon pa rin ang siyang pangunahing nagtataguyod ng kakayahan, kung kaya ito ang nangunguna sa listahan ng administrasyong ito,” the Chief Executive said. “Sinisimulan natin ito mula sa pagkamusmos. At ito ay dapat tuloy-tuloy, at hindi tumitigil.”
On classroom shortage, welfare of students and teachers
To help address the classroom shortage, the President said he has tapped the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), and local government units to build more classrooms.
“For its part, the private sector also will construct its initial share of more than 16,000 classrooms in Luzon by way of PPPs (public-private partnerships). Additional PPPs with higher production targets will soon follow for the Visayas and Mindanao,” he said.
To address teachers’ welfare, Marcos Jr. also reported that more than 80,000 teachers and school heads have already been promoted under the Expanded Career Progression Program, while over 30,000 additional teaching positions have been created.
“Hindi mawawaglit sa ating isipan ang karangalan at kadakilaan ng ating mga guro,” he said, recalling the promise he made in his 4th SONA that no public school teacher would retire at the entry-level Teacher I rank.
The President also said the government has provided teachers with instructional tools and equipment, including Smart TVs, laptops, tablets, free mobile data, and lapel microphones.
Additionally, DepEd is actively recruiting 10,000 School Counselor Associate I positions following recent incidents of violence in schools involving students.
In light of the school shooting incident in San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte in June, President Marcos has extended his condolences to the families of the three students who lost their lives in the tragedy and reiterated his earlier call for a more concerted effort to protect children from harm.
“We must all assume a community responsibility for our young people’s protection,” he stressed. “Kailangang mamulat ang buong lipunan at akuin ang responsibilidad. Pag-ibayuhin natin ang ating paggabay at pag-aruga sa ating kabataan.”
The President said that all sectors of society must work together to protect children from the harmful effects of fake news, pornography, violent content, and toxicity in social media, saying that exposure to these contents online has contributed to worsening mental health issues, teenage pregnancies, HIV/AIDS cases, and other social problems.
He noted that schools serve as second homes for children, stressing the importance of ensuring schools remain safe spaces where children are protected and nurtured
In line with this, DepEd continues to work with LGUs and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to enhance security in public schools.
“Siniguro ng DepEd na nakahanda, gumagana, at alam ng lahat ang mga mekanismo at proseso sa pag-ulat at pagtugon sa mga insidente ng bullying, pati na sa mga iba’t ibang emergency,” Marcos said.
-av
