DepEd, Save the Children ‘ensure education for all’

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) recently inked a partnership with children’s rights organization Save the Children to ensure the implementation of various education programs across the country.

DepEd said the partnership covers programs in early childhood education, basic education, literacy and mother tongue-based multilingual education, school health and nutrition, child protection, education in emergencies and disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

One of the targets of the partnership is to ensure achievement of the department’s Education for All goals.

“DepEd and Save the Children will combine its efforts to universalize kindergarten education through the KapitBahayan-Aralan program, a child-focused, developmentally appropriate, play and active learning-based early education program, which serves children from marginalized and disadvantaged communities,” DepEd said.

DepEd and Save the Children also agreed to combine efforts and maintain working relationships in the implementation of mother tongue-based multilingual education to further improve children’s learning and reading outcomes.

DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro noted the importance of the program in the learning process of the student, saying it shall provide children with a strong education in the first language and develop cognitive and reasoning skills.

Both parties will also collaborate to improve health and nutrition services and education, including the development of policies on water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and community support.

The tie-up also paves the way for the capacity building among teachers on children’s rights and positive discipline to advance child protection, DepEd said. DepEd and Save the Children will also strengthen cluster education formation and frontline responders training.