TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

RIZALDY G. YU

The Department of Education said Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) fosters transparency and accountability and a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

According to the agency, M&E is more than just a procedural exercise as it breathes life into the organization, making necessary efforts to strengthen the education system in these challenging times.

The critical roles of M&E were highlighted during a recent conference, which aimed to set the direction of DepEd’s M&E system; (b) provide updates on the global and national M&E practices; (c) discuss the principles and standards of M&E; (d) discuss the M&E strategies and mechanisms of DepEd in doing M&E, and; (e) promote cooperation among DepEd program managers and staff to support M&E initiatives across governance levels.

The activity was also aimed to empower the agency to create and refine education reforms based on data and evidence, guiding toward better-informed decisions for the benefit of learners.

It also resonated profoundly with the MATATAG Agenda, symbolizing DepEd’s unwavering promise to deliver accessible, quality, and equitable education for our learners.

The conference gathered to gain insights and learnings on M&E concepts, approaches, and strategies. Among the vital topics discussed in the forum were the Anchoring M&E to the MATATAG Agenda and Basic Education Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (BEMEF) Policy; Measuring Learning Proficiency amid the Learning Crisis; National Evaluation Policy Framework (NEPF) and National Practices on M&E; the Importance of Evaluations in the Education Sector; and the Utilization of Evaluation Findings in Policy Formulation.

Also discussed were important concepts in developing the M&E framework, establishing the purpose and scope of M&E, gathering the right information, analyzing data, and communicating findings.

Furthermore, the forum also tackled M&E mechanisms in DepEd which includes discussion of the existing data management and information systems such as the Learner Information System, Basic Education Information System, National School Building Inventory and the Program Management Information System as tools for M&E.