Marcos reaffirms commitment to investing in education sector, learners

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday reaffirmed his commitment to investing in the country’s education sector as well as its learners.

“I have previously mentioned that this administration will at no point scrimp on investment in our educational sector and in our young learners. And I am here today to reaffirm that commitment,” Marcos said at the presentation of the Basic Education Report 2023 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

“We will build infrastructure that will provide our learners, teachers, and the entire academic sector with a healthy and safe environment that is conducive to learning,” Marcos added.

The Chief Executive also vowed to invest “in our teachers as we all know that is part of the most – that is part of our improving our educational system.”

He said teachers would be offered multiple opportunities that would meet their personal and professional needs.

“Our teachers are there because it is a vocation. Teachers do not become teachers because it is their job. Teachers do not become teachers because they want to become rich. Teachers become teachers because they have to. It is a vocation,” Marcos said.

“And it is up to us to support them in that effort because they feel the need to educate young people. And we are blessed that we have such teachers and we should hold them close and do all we can to support them so that they can do, to the best of their ability, what they have pledged to do,” he added.

Presented by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, the Basic Education Report 2023 contains the current challenges and the plans and priorities of the Department of Education to address the issues being faced by the sector.

The DepEd said the report also included updates on the ongoing review of the K to 12 curriculum.

Duterte added that the curriculum content was “congested,” and that some prerequisites of identified learning competencies are missing or misplaced.

She said the agency already commenced the revision of the basic curriculum.

Marcos, meanwhile, underscored that the government could not fail the learners, noting that this was the main motivation that they needed to keep in their hearts.

“[If we keep failing them] They will not become the great Filipinos that will be recognized not only by their fellow Filipinos but by many people around the world,” he added.

Earlier, DepEd spokesman Atty. Michael Poa said the agency would also launch a new call to action for all Filipinos, which is anchored on the BER 2023.

“It’s really to give the public an idea of the steps that this administration will take and also the direction of this administration towards resolving issues in basic education,” Poa had said. — DVM, GMA Integrated News