DepEd, DOST vow to boost science education

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) vowed stronger collaboration in order to strengthen science education in public schools.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara and Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. expressed this commitment during the appointment ceremony of the new campus directors of the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) System in Quezon City on Thursday.

“One thing we discovered, as expressed in your hymn, science is the foundation of a progressive nation. That’s the bottom line here,” Angara said in a speech, referring to the DOST Hymn.

Solidum, meanwhile, said the team-up with DepEd is a “significant step in strengthening the country’s science, technology and innovation foundation.”

“We believe that the success of science, technology and innovation really lies in our educational system, starting from our youth,” Solidum said.

“We have been discussing how we can work together with them and help them as well in making sure that our reach would go beyond the Philippine Science High School system,” he added.

Thursday’s ceremony celebrated the appointment of three PSHS campus directors, namely Rod Allan De Lara for the Main Campus, Myrna Libutaque for the Western Visayas Campus and Mary Grace Navarro for the Ilocos Region Campus.

In a press statement, the DepEd said both Angara and Solidum “underscored the importance of working together to advance science education and cultivate the next generation of scientists and innovators.”