DepEd, Australia complete 6-year education development program

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Australian government have formally concluded the six-year education development program implemented to assist the Philippines in improving access to basic education.

Started in 2013, the Basic Education Sector Transformation (BEST) program was implemented in the country through the Australian Agency for International Development and various partners from the private sector.

Several projects were implemented in a bid to enrich service delivery and governance in the education sector, as well as help the country transition to the K-12 basic education curriculum.

Through the program, Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said the DepEd was able to upgrade the professional competencies of teachers and school leaders and enhance capability of schools to provide a better learning environment.

“BEST has helped DepEd build the foundation for K- 12 and opened the paths for further refinements such as curriculum review, which is ongoing already,” Malaluan added.

Program objectives include improved quality of education outcomes, more equitable access of all people at all levels of education and improved service delivery through better governance. 

Target outcomes include more children demonstrating improved mastery of the basic education curriculum, higher participation in target areas and better delivery of services that is more gender responsive and inclusive.

These were achieved through projects implemented under one of these pillars: teacher development, curriculum and assessment, and governance and organizational development.