THE ASSESSMENT Curriculum Technology and Research Center is hopeful that the incoming administration will collaborate with private groups and research organizations in improving the quality of education in the country.

ACTRC is a partnership between the University of Melbourne and the University of the Philippines. The Center is an Australian Aid initiative and seeks to advise and inform the Philippine system of education through curriculum, teaching and assessment research that is based on empirical studies of curriculum innovation and implementation.

“The incoming administration is keen on looking at the curriculum… engaging with them would entail sharing of the curriculum review findings and some of the things that DepEd has already been doing as a result of the recommendation,” ACTRC Philippine Director Dr. Marie Therese Bustos said on Wednesday.

“We do sense an openness from the incoming administration that they’re willing to work with different stakeholders including research organizations such as ours, in relation to curriculum work,” she added.

ACTRC Philippine Deputy Director Dr. Noma Marlene Ferido, meanwhile, hopes that the incoming administration will also cooperate with private organizations “in the manner that we have collaborated with the outgoing administration.”

The organization marked its 10th anniversary on Wednesday. Also present during the event were University of the Philippines Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Bautista, University of Melbourne Pro Vice Chancellor Mark Hargreaves, ACTRC Australian Deputy Director Dr. Pam Robertson, Philippine Business for Social Progress Executive Director Elvin Uy and UNICEF Chief of Education Isy Faingold.

Bautista congratulated ACTRC for its 10 years of success.

“I congratulate ACTRC for 10 years of successful collaboration between UP and the University of Melbourne in knowledge production towards providing the Department of Education with valuable inputs to address gaps in the curriculum, assessment and instruction. This is indeed a auspicious celebration that I am very privileged to be part of,” she said.