DepEd to study Pisay's best practices in STEM

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education is looking to partner with the Philippine Science High School system to adopt its best practices for teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in public schools nationwide.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the planned collaboration between DepEd and the Department of Science and Technology — Pisay's parent agency — will also involve teacher training, according to a message to Philstar.com on Friday, January 3. 

This comes after Angara and DOST Secretary Renato Solidum "affirmed their commitment to collaborate" on science education during Thursday's (January 2) appointment ceremony of new Pisay campus directors.

Angara said DepEd is planning to collaborate with DOST on "strengthening the curriculum in terms of Science / STEM and looking at their best practices here."

"Third is training of faculty," the DepEd chief added.

During the oath-taking ceremony, Solidum expressed his support for closer collaboration with the Department of Education (DepEd), which oversees approximately 40,000 public schools nationwide.

Data by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), presented to the House basic education panel last year, show that more than half of science teachers in public schools do not have a specialization in the subject. 

This finding has raised concerns among lawmakers, who emphasized the need to strengthen students' science literacy ahead of this year's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test.

"We have been discussing how we can work together and help them ensure our reach would go beyond the Philippine Science High School system," Solidum said, according to a DepEd press release.

Another specific area of collaboration between the two agencies is the possible inclusion of Pisay in DepEd's teacher training center in Baguio City, Angara said.

The country's premier science high school system has 16 campuses nationwide, with its Cordillera Administrative Region campus located in Baguio.

"Their campus in Baguio [is] on DepEd property. We asked them about their plans since we have Teachers Camp and possible expansion plans that they be part of it," Angara said.

Angara called himself Pisay's former supporter in the Senate. "Now, consider me one of your fans," he said. 

The event marked the appointment of Dr. Rod Allan De Lara (Main Campus), Dr. Myrna Libutaque (Western Visayas Campus), and Dr. Mary Grace Navarro (Ilocos Region Campus) as Pisay's new campus directors.

DepEd's push to improve science education comes after an EDCOM 2 study that found just 1% of all Filipino students are enrolled in Pisay and DepEd's special science programs. 

EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee said the low figure points to thousands of students with "possibly unrealized potential who could be supported better."