Sustaining the gains, closing the gaps
THE month of December signals the beginning of fruitful inputs and discussions of the state and gains of the initiatives poured in the education sector throughout the year as an offshoot of the reforms done in the previous years until now.
On December 5-6, the trifocal agencies on education-the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (Ched), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) will gather industry partners and stakeholders from all over the country for the 2017 Education Summit in the iconic Manila Hotel.
DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones emphasized the importance of collective efforts in improving current and future initiatives and eliminating various barriers in the education sector, thus ensuring the delivery of quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating basic education for all in line with the theme, “Sustaining the Gains, Closing the Gaps.”
The gathering of education leaders and stakeholders will tackle the urgent concerns of the education sector; track progress by the trifocal agencies in achieving their agendas and 2016 Education Summit commitments, including sustainable development goal 4 (SDG4); build on the commitments during the 2016 Education Summit, as well as consider new policies and directions; and gather various stakeholders to get their feedback, inputs, and pledge to help in ensuring progress towards the 2017 Education Summit statement.
It is also a must to mention that this gathering of around 1,500 invited participants will discuss the following key topics: SDG4 progress monitoring; K-12 implementation; professional development; teacher welfare; social inclusion; Alternative Learning System (ALS); higher education; Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET); Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education; and the Government-Industry-Education Council.
According to a press release from DepEd official website, this Summit is supported by the Basic Education Sector Transformation (BEST), a development cooperation program by Australia and the Philippines.
Furthermore, this year’s program and content are informed by pre-summit dialogues organized in partnership with education stakeholders, whose feedbacks, inputs and commitments are vital in uplifting the Philippine education system.
Moreover, lead organizations for the pre-Summit activities include Action for Economic Reforms (AER); Philippine Business for Education (PBEd); Coalitions for Change (CFC); Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities; Philippine Coalition on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; E-Net Philippines; The Teacher’s Gallery; Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (Seameo Innotech); Asian Development Bank (ADB); and BEST.
It is hoped that with all of these efforts, sustaining the gains and closing the gaps, the two primary focus of the summit will be realized given the diversity of the background of those who are involved in the summit.
This Corner is positive that in time, all of those things will come to reality.