VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte unveiled on Thursday, May 25, the seven priority points of the Department of Education in support of its MATATAG Agenda.

“As we work towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in basic education, we must acknowledge that no organization or government can achieve them alone. We need strong partnerships that involve all actors, including the private sector, civil society, and local communities,” Duterte said at the Partners Convergence held at the National Museum of Natural History in Manila.

Duterte said the agency’s Finance strand aims to capacitate employees on loan management systems and host financial literacy programs for DepEd personnel and learners.

The School Infrastructure and Facilities strand will prioritize interventions to enable DepEd to construct and rehabilitate classrooms, build disaster-resilient schools and provide electrification and connectivity programs.

Meanwhile, the Administration strand seeks to digitize forms, enhance systems and provide assistance in its parametric and indemnity insurance for public schools.

For Curriculum and Teaching, Duterte mentioned strengthening the Literacy and Numeracy Programs, reviewing Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education, digitizing national assessments and strengthening inclusive education programs and teaching approaches.

The Human Resources and Organizational Development strand will develop quality assurance effectiveness, upscaling of the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines and knowledge sharing from the partners in their expertise as their priority intervention programs.

The DepEd’s Operations strand, on the other hand, will provide mobile medical and dental clinics, enhanced school-based feeding programs, learner rights and protection mechanisms, mental health programs, learner and youth program development and the farm-to-table nutrition project.

The Procurement strand seeks to improve the Department’s procurement processes through continuous capacity building for its personnel and processes digitalization.

Manila City Mayor Maria Sheilah Honorado “Honey” Lacuna-Pangan, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, Aboitiz Foundation President and CEO Sabin Aboitiz and Governor Dakila Carlo Cua also expressed their support to the Education department.

“Learning lies in the heart of our shared goal, it is our duty to provide quality education that equips our students with the necessary skills, knowledge and values to strive in the ever-evolving world,” Cua said.