Education attache to look after quality of education in Phl schools in ME

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) has given its new “education attache” in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) the authority to sign diplomas of graduates of Filipino schools in foreign countries.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro, in DepEd Order No. 110 issued last week, has authorized Dr. Estrella Babano, the education attache in KSA, the authority to sign special orders and diplomas issued by Filipino schools as well as grant permits to hold summer classes in these schools.

Babano was also given the authority to grant permits to operate for such Filipino schools.

With the growing number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East and the establishment of several Philippine schools in the region, DepEd had recently created the post of education attache tasked to attend to the quality of education in Philippine schools in the Middle East region where OFW families have opted to have their children stay with them and get their education in such schools. To date, there are 43 Philippine schools in the Middle East of which 23 are located in Saudi Arabia. 

Before her appointment as attache, Babano served as DepEd Regional Director for Northern Mindanao (Region 10) for 11 years.

DepEd said that Babano was a proponent of several initiatives in education, especially in strengthening Muslim education and indigenous communities.