SENATOR Christopher ‘Bong’ Go on Wednesday lauded President Rodrigo Duterte for signing laws to improve the education system and make it more inclusive amid various challenges.

The new legislations include Republic Act 11650 which institutes services and programs for learners with disabilities and eight others separating and converting extension or annexed schools into independent national schools.

These measures seek to address the need to make public schools more accessible vis-à-vis the growing population of students.

“Education is a constitutionally enshrined right which the State must protect and promote. Thus, ensuring education for all should be a top priority,” Go said.

“For this to be achieved, it is vital that opportunities to learn and receive quality education are accessible to all those who so desire,” he added.

RA 11650, which was co-authored by Go, aims to enhance the quality of education in the formal learning sector by providing free support services as well as programs that are tailored to the needs of differently-abled learners.

It mandates the implementation of a Child Find System, a scheme for locating and evaluating learners with disabilities who have not received basic education services, and facilitating their inclusion into the general education system.

To enhance the quality of education, the law also directs schools and child development centers to develop Individualized Education Plans to meet the unique educational needs of each learner.