DepEd launches K+12 exhibits

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday launched their GO! (Greater Opportunities) Education public information campaign to present and discuss their K+12 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) campaign by holding exhibits at SM malls all over the country.

DepEd, in partnership with the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), launched the first GO! Education exhibit on K+12 at the SM City North EDSA in Quezon City.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that the GO! Education campaign will hopefully lead to wider acceptance and more aggressive support by the public of the K+12 (Kindergarten to 12) BEC program.

“We hope that through this Expo, people will fully appreciate the benefits of the reforms we are implementing, including those on curriculum through K to 12,” Luistro said.

“We also want people to know that aside from curriculum reforms, we have also carried out and continue to implement reforms focused on improving teacher quality and augmenting resources,” he added.

The GO! Education information campaign focuses on the three primary components towards improving access and quality of basic education in the country, namely, improving Teacher Quality, Curriculum Enhancements through the K to 12 Basic Education Program, and addressing the gaps in resources in public schools.

The exhibit was launched after President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address in which he highlighted his full support for DepEd’s reform agenda by pushing for an increase of P55.9 billion to P292.7 billion for its 2013 budget.

The higher budget allocation for DepEd for 2013 continues the trend of the rising budget allocation for basic education of the Aquino administration, from P177 billion in 2010, to P207 billion in 2011, and P238.8 billion in 2012.

In his recent SONA, Aquino lauded Secretary Luistro’s efforts to bridge various resource gaps.

“I have great faith in Secretary Luistro: Before the next year ends, we will have built the 66,800 classrooms needed to fill up the shortage we inherited – of this, we expect 40,000 for this year. The 2,573,212 backlog in chairs that we were bequeathed will be addressed before 2012 ends. This year, too, will see the eradication of the backlog of 61.7 million textbooks – and we will finally achieve the one-to-one ratio of books to students,” the President said.

“Our educational reforms are a significant undertaking; one that will require everyone’s full support and participation,” Luistro said.

“Through GO! Education, we want to encourage the entire Filipino community to support DepEd as it pushes for an education that will provide greater opportunities for our citizens,” he said.

The GO! Education Exhibit Expo will run from July 27 to 29 at The Block Atrium Activity Center, 2nd Floor, SM City North EDSA. In succeeding months, the Expo is set to run in key areas – SM Manila, SM Mall of Asia, SM Pampanga, SM Bacoor, SM Iloilo, SM Cebu, and SM Davao – to bring the advocacy of basic education reform closer to every Filipino.