MAKING EDUCATION RELEVANT TO NATION’S NEEDS
ALADIN M. SUEDE
The Department of Education (DepEd) has yet again reiterated the importance of instilling 21st century skills among all learners, with emphasis on making education relevant to the urgent needs of and opportunities for the nat i on.
According to the DepEd, what we teach and encourage our learners to learn from school has to be relevant to the 21st century, to our needs, and has to be responsive to the challenges that our country faces at this time.
There is something new and exciting happening in and outside the Philippines every day to which the basic education system has to respond, the DepEd said.
This has resulted in massive outputs like the provision of school buildings with improved design and facilities, and the setting up of 21st century classrooms with various innovative features and equipment.
The Department also recognizes and supports the digital rise in the Philippine education system. It shared that as early as 2010, the Department already started efforts in raising the information and communications technology (ICT) literacy of the learners, teachers, school heads, and other personnel through the DepEd Computerization Program.
Even as we focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as educators, we must not forget that we are Filipinos and we have a history and multi-varied culture all over the country. It is also important to focus as well on the social sciences or the so-called soft sciences.
Meanwhile, various conferences involving 21st Century Learning are happening nationwide, supported by DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority ( TESDA) .
These conferences aim to provide the participants with insights on the latest innovations and pedagogies transforming K to 12 Basic Education, and enable them to discover how learning and teaching is getting transformed in higher education.
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The author is Teacher III at Benedicto Elementary School, Floridablanca, Pampanga