P-Noy vows support for educational reforms

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino assured the nation yesterday that education and educational reforms will remain the priority of his administration for the Philippines to be globally competitive and to ensure job generation.

Speaking during the 18th founding anniversary of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Aquino vowed government support for reforms like the improvement of school infrastructure, equipment and facilities.

Aquino cited the increase in budget allocation for education every year since he assumed office: P175 billion in 2010, 207.3 billion in 2011 and for 2012, a 36.5 percent increase to P238.8 billion.

A supplemental budget of P4.2 billion has been allocated for state universities and colleges to improve their delivery of education to students, he added.

Aquino asked CHED and its employees to join government efforts to improve the educational system in the country. 

DepEd for home study

The Department of Education (DepEd) is considering a home study program in school year 2012-2013 due to the shortage of classrooms.

Jesus Lorenzo Mateo, DepEd assistant secretary for planning, said the home study program could be offered in regions with high classroom to student ratio (one classroom per 50 students) and higher.

DepEd’s latest monitoring showed a shortage of 47,584 teachers, 19,579 classrooms, and 80,937 sanitation facilities, he added.

The classroom shortage of 19,579 did take into account the classrooms needed to accommodate new students, he added.

Mateo said the DepEd-National Capital Region led by the Quezon City Division of City Schools under officer-in-charge Rowena Cacanindin is leading the pilot-test of a home study curriculum.

“It’s an old program in Que-zon City,” he said.

DepEd may implement the program in other city divisions in DepEd-NCR and other regions suffering acute classroom congestion, Mateo said.

Cacanindin told The STAR six schools will offer the program this year, covering more or less 10,000 students.

“These are all high schools,” she said.

Cacanindin identified the schools as Batasan Hills National High School, Commonwealth High School, Doña Rosario High School, Judge Feliciano Belmonte High School, Holy Spirit National High School, and North Fairview High School.

Quezon City came up with the home study program about 10 years ago during the time of Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, Jr., she added.

The home study program and the Alternative Learning Systems program were two of DepEd’s out-of-the-box solutions to provide education to out-of-school youths, Mateo said.

Mateo led yesterday an inspection of one of the country’s highly populated public schools, the Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School along EDSA in Cubao, Quezon City, where he was joined by Caca-nindin, and other Quezon City Division of City Schools officials. Last year, the school had a total of 6,141 students in 83 classrooms.

This school year, the school is expecting enrollees to reach 6,500.

Principal Romulo Rocena said the DepEd inspection was welcome, since it would update DepEd of challenges that schools faced in the field, especially in accommodating the increasing number of students.

“We appreciate that DepEd management is taking concrete steps which is expected to lead to better learning environment, adequate teaching materials and competency, as well as more comprehensive curricula,” he said.

The roundabout at the school’s premises showed a tight distribution of classrooms for the estimated 6,500 new enrollees this school year, with 50 students to share one classroom and one teacher every class time. – With Rainier Allan Ronda