21ST CENTURY COMPETENCIES

ANA MARIE P. SAGUM

7he Department of Education DepEd highlighted the importance of instilling st century competen cies in learners, underscoring the vital role of other government and non government organi]ations, and the community in providing a Tuality, accessiEle, relevant, and liEerating Easic education for all. $ccord ing to DepEd, teachers will remain indispensaEle in the fight for Tuality education despite the rise of artificial intelligence $, and other technologies advanced Ey the )ourth ,ndustrial 5evolution. Even as the standards of Tuality and the way people learn have transformed in the st century, the agency emphasi]ed that the Eattle for Tuality Easic education will Ee fought and won in classrooms Ey our teachers. ,t is in the classrooms where the day to day learning of our students happen. 7he Department further emphasi]ed that e[pectations for learning outcomes are no longer confined to reading, writing, and counting, as there are now myriad types and sources of information availaEle to learners, which enaEle them to read, comprehend, analy]e, process, and integrate from multiple sources ± whether digital or in print. 7his, the DepEd said, is what the st century sNills in the . to curriculum are all aEout. 1ot only do learners have mastery of concepts ad suEject matter, Eut they also need to have digital literacy, and have the sNills for proElem solving and critical thinNing. 7he challenge for teachers now is to thinN of innovative ways of teaching. 7o enaEle them to Neep pace with the changes and respond to these challenges, one of the Department¶s initiatives is the transformation of the 1ational Educators $cademy of the 3hilippines 1E$3 where profession development program and career progression for teachers will Ee strengthened. ,nvesting in education has produced major gains in access to education. +owever the Department is still urging teachers and school leaders ans seeN their support to renew everyone¶s commitment and motivation for an all out effort for education Tuality.

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7he author is a 7eacher ,,, at 6an -uan Elementary 6chool