THE DEPARTMENT of Education underscored the significance of collaboration between the government and civil society organizations in improving schools during a meeting with its partners and stakeholders.

The department, through the School Infrastructure and Facilities strand, convened with various civil society organizations to introduce the School Building Program Monitoring System, a scheme to address pressing school building-related issues.

Recognizing the need to provide retrofitted classrooms and disaster-resilient school buildings nationwide, DepEd emphasized the importance of communicating and sharing plans, timelines, and objectives with different members of the organizations.

“There is an urgent need to address the learning gaps in the basic education, studies show improved learning capacity of students being taught inside a regular classroom. If not addressed immediately, it will have profound economic implications for the future of the country—affecting the quality of life, literacy rates, and the overall fabric of Filipino society,” DepEd Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said.

The General Appropriations Act provides a special provision in the Basic Education Facilities Fund to capacitate and involve Civil Society Organizations as partners of DepEd to monitor the construction of school buildings and other infrastructure projects.

The program was attended by civil society organizations represented by the Parent-Teachers Association, Civil Society Network for Education Reforms (E-Net Philippines), and Cebu City Youth Development Commission.

Cebuano Youth Ambassadors Inc., Supreme Student Government, Unang Hakbang Foundation Inc., Food for the Hungry Inc., World Vision, Quidan Kaisahan, and Bulacao Youth for Service and Empowerment also had representatives in the meeting.