Vice President Sara flaunts DepEd achievements

CEBU, Philippines — Vice President and outgoing Department of Education Secretary Sara Duterte Carpio touted the programs implemented during her term during the Learner’s Convergence Philippines 2024 held at the Hoopsdome in Lapu-Lapu City yesterday.

To improve the quality of education, Carpio said that the department launched the Matatag Curriculum and implemented Catch-up Fridays to help close learning gaps arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“By removing administrative tasks, we have allowed teachers to focus on their main and only task, to teach. We are also returning to the original school calendar to ensure your safety during the hot summer months,” she said

In terms of health, she said the department established the first mental health and wellness unit, trained over 10,000 personnel in psychological first aid, and established DepEd's first mental health support network. These efforts allegedly helped save over 900 lives through suicide prevention and counseling.

“With a substantial budget of ?200 million for mental health, we are integrating mental health services in schools and setting up specialized teams in every region,” she said.

The department also leveraged the power of technology by co-creating the Lusog Isip Kabataan Education, an online platform where all vital videos, referral hotlines, and learning materials for mental well-being can now be accessed anytime and anywhere.

To combat substance abuse and substance dependence, DepEd established over 2,700 chapters of Barkada Kontra Droga, soon to evolve into the Barkada Kontra Bisyo, engaging over 450,000 participants.

The department also invested heavily in child and adolescent sexual and reproductive health, securing ?100 million for teen centers which will become learner wellness centers and expanded programs for teen pregnancy and HIV prevention.

In nutrition, Duterte said that they improved DepEd’s school-based feeding program, providing meals for over two million learners for an entire academic year.

Carpio also said that the Learners' Rights and Protection Office has been actively working to address child abuse cases such as bullying, verbal abuse, and sexual harassment, among others.

“These programs aim to ensure that your rights and protections are safeguarded and upheld,” Carpio said.

Senator Imee Marcos, who also graced the event, said that today’s world is a much more complicated compared to before when what the department focused on were out-of-school youths.

“Pero ngayon napakahirap na ng panahon, meron paring out-of-school youth, sangkatutak na teenage pregnancy, na ang sinasabi na ang teenage pregnancy ay hindi na social or educational problem kundi ito ay isang economic problem. Ang cyberbullying, at iba pang cybercrime, bago po ‘yun. As much as we are privileged to the digital world, the reality is cybercrime exists, cyberbullying is manifest and omnipresent,” Marcos said.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan in his speech said the convergence of learners, youth leaders and education stakeholders from all over the country, representing the 228 schools division offices is a step towards the goal of shaping our youth into well-rounded individuals, preparing them for the real world in the future.

“Learner-participants will not only gain valuable insights from the distinguished speakers but also take home with them an enriching learning experience through interaction with fellow participants. And hopefully from amongst them would come the next leaders of our country,” Chan said. — (FREEMAN)