Education Secretary Sonny Angara speaks at a meeting with representatives of the United Nations Children Fund (Unicef) on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, for the Outcome Review Meeting in the ninth Country Programme for Children in the Philippines. —Inquirer files
MANILA, Philippines — Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara pushed to strengthen the country’s early childhood care and development (ECCD) programs and its alternative learning system (ALS) as part of reforms for the education sector.
The push came during Angara’s Outcome Review Meeting with the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) for the ninth Country Programme for Children in the Philippines on Feb. 4.
Article continues after this advertisementDepEd said in a statement Wednesday, “Angara stressed the need to reinforce early childhood care and development programs and the alternative learning system to strengthen early learning foundations and facilitate the reintegration of out-of-school youth into formal education.”
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The Unicef meeting saw Angara meeting with the international organization’s education chief Akihiro Fushimi and planning chief Xavier Foulquier along with DepEd and Teacher Education Council representatives, to discuss its partnership to reform the country’s basic education.
Article continues after this advertisement“DepEd considers Unicef one of its strongest allies in education. This partnership has transformed many lives and helped drive improvements in basic education in the Philippines,” Angara said.
Article continues after this advertisementAt the meet, the Philippine education chief touted the department’s Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) tutoring program as well as its Dynamic Learning Program to ensure learning continuity even during disasters.
Article continues after this advertisementFurther, he reported that hiring guidance counselors to provide psychosocial support for students and teachers was a priority for schools in implementing the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act.
A positive CI means the optimists outnumbered the pessimists. The BSP said such an upbeat outlook stemmed from households’ expectations of salary hikes and additional sources of income.
“Considering that shopping is the second biggest expense of any tourist worldwide, we are getting this benefit now to develop the retail industry, improve the sales performance by retailers, and at the same time improve the tourism industry,” Philippine Retailers Association president Roberto Claudio said during the 2024 Outstanding Filipino Retailers Awards on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Angara reported that the department was reviewing the senior high school program as well as the Anti-Bullying Act.
Article continues after this advertisementThe DepEd previously laid out a five-point agenda to address education reforms through the following matters:
an enabling learning environment the welfare of teachers the well-being of learners efficient learning delivery in all its forms, and a future-ready workforce—with reports from Sheba Maya R. Barr, INQUIRER.net trainee
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