EDUCATION MARCOS ADMINISTRATION’S HIGHEST PRIORITY

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday affirmed that education is the administration’s highest priority, saying that the country needs to make sure more learners benefit from the government’s initiatives moving forward.

“Education remains this Administration’s highest priority. This year, the education budget reached its highest level in the history of the Philippines,” President Marcos said during his speech at the Recognition of Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Participating Schools and Education Partners, held at the President “Cory” Corazon C. Aquino National High School, in Pasay City.

President Marcos added that the ARAL Program helps learners from Kindergarten to Grade 10 to catch up in reading, mathematics, and science.

Under Republic Act No. 12028 or the ARAL Program Act, the Department of Education (DepEd) is mandated to implement the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program as a targeted learning recovery initiative aimed at providing structured academic support to learners requiring intervention in critical subject areas, particularly Reading, Science, and Mathematics.

Along with this, President Marcos said the revised K to 10 Curriculum enables schools to give more attention to the literacy, numeracy, and other foundational skills of the learners.

“We are also supporting children even before they enter school. Through the First 1,000 Days Program, we champion maternal and child health and nutrition,” the President said.

“So as we support our learners, we also support the people who guide them,” the Chief Executive noted.

On the other hand, President Marcos said that the country has improved from its 2022 results, “but we have a long way to go to catch up with our neighbors in the region, with the rest of Asia, and with the rest of the world.”

Given the right support and opportunities, Filipino students can compete on the global stage, President Marcos said.

President Marcos also urged the parents and teachers to continue nurturing the children’s curiosity. Encourage them to discover the world beyond the classroom. Guide them in using technology so that it becomes a tool for learning, President Marcos said.

“To our learners: Keep asking questions. Look at things from different points of view. Do not be afraid to change your mind when you learn something new,” President Marcos also urged the learners.

“Let us teach our children to be intelligent. Let us teach our children to question. Let us teach our children to understand,” the President said.

“What you see, these students that we see here, this is nothing less than the future of the Philippines. And how that is the most important thing, the most important contribution that we can make to our country, to make to the future of our country, and to make to the future generations of Filipinos is to provide them with a good education,” President Marcos added.