Taguig City gov't to prioritize education

MANILA, Philippines - After its public schools placed third among Metro Manila schools in this year's National Achievement Test (NAT), the Taguig City government has vowed to put more into its public education sector.

Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano said the performance of the Division of Taguig City and Pateros (TAPAT) in this year's NAT is a great start to her second term of office.

Cayetano said her administration has made it a priority to invest in various programs and infrastructure for the welfare of public school students during her first three years of service as mayor.

“I want Taguig to aim for Number One because we’re setting aside a considerable amount of the city government’s resources for public education. Now, we are beginning to see the results of all our efforts,” she said.

According to Danilo Gutierrez, Assistant Schools Division Superintendent, the Mean Percentage Score (MPS) of TAPAT increased by 10.04% this year compared to last year.

The MPS of those in TAPAT Grade Six also improved with 62.91% this year, higher than last year’s 59.32% MPS while there had been a slight improvement as well in the Grade Three levels with 43.86% MPS this year compared to the 42.44% MPS last year.

“The DepEd recognizes TAPAT and the programs and projects of the Taguig City government under the leadership of Mayor Lani Cayetano. It helped a lot in the performance of the division in the NAT,” Gutierrez said.

Mayor Cayetano meanwhile admitted that Taguig's public education sector is still at present facing a wide array of problems and challenges, as she promised additional funding.

“There are many good stories but we are not without challenges. There are still a lot to do—increase modern classrooms, enhance the science laboratories, libraries and train teachers, among others, ” she said.

Among the education sector programs implemented by Mayor Cayetano are the P300-million Lifeline Assistance for Neighbors In- Need (LANI) Scholarship Program with eight kinds of scholarships; the Taguig Learner’s Certificate (TLC) Program which is a project helping public school students transfer to private schools to lessen the problem of overpopulation and classroom shortage; and, the Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) Program, a computer curriculum taught in the public schools to promote students’ level of knowledge in the field of Information Technology.

In addition, the Taguig City government is also shouldering all of the public school students’ needs, which include uniforms, shoes, bags, and school supplies.