Policy Action

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Issues, Challenges Reforms in Basic Education
Secretary Jesli A. Lapus January 31, 2008
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Goal of Basic Education
Make every Filipino functionally literate.
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Vision Functionally Literate Filipinos
Teacher Development
and Supply
Schools
Teachers
Students
Curriculum
Governance, ICT
College/
?
University
Technical
ECE
Vocational
Labor Force
Basic Education Framework
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Our Issues Challenges
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1. Preparing 5-Year Olds for Formal Instruction

• Low readiness rate of G1 entrants due to absence
  of preschool experience prevalent in 5th and 6th
  class municipalities
• Unabated opening of sub-standard private
  preschool classes
• High cost of privately-provided preschool
  education
• Not an official part of the basic education
  ladder

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2. Reaching the unschooled

• 17 of 6-11 year olds

• 42 of 12-15 year olds

• 11.6 million who do not have basic education
  competencies

FLEMMS 2003
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3. Retaining the insufficiently schooled..
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4. Raising the proficiency level of the poorly
schooled
Improve-ment
SY 2006-07 (In MPS)
SY 2005/06 (In MPS)
G3 Reading Effectiveness
60.23
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49.21
11
57.55
51.49
G6, NAT-ESM
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59.94
54.66
G6 NAT Overall
Improve-ment
SY 2006-07
SY 2007-08
Y4 NCAE Gen. Scholastic Aptitude
47.52
46.95
1.21
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• 5. Turning around 2,163 low performing schools
  in NAT
• Retooling of teachers, particularly English,
  Science and Math
• Support to Students
• Supplementary reading materials
• Intensified feeding, medical dental services
• Improving Learning Environment
• Books, classrooms, science and speech labs,
  computers, libraries, ancillary services
• Priority deployment of teachers, principals
• Lowering class sizes to promote learning

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B E S R A(Basic Education SectorReform Agenda)
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• School-Based Management
• Competency-Based Teacher Standards
• Quality Assurance Accountability Framework
• ECE, ALS and private sector participation
• Reengineering DepED governance financial,
  human, physical, technological

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On-going Policy Program Changes
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1. School-Based Management

• Greater authority for principals to manage own
  affairs based on DepED Standards for Improved SBM
  Practice
• Drilling down of school budget to promote
  continuous school improvement
• Provision of more principal items to schools for
  greater accountability over results
• Provision of augmentation funds to schools with
  special programs in ESM, tech-voc, culture, arts,
  sports and SPED

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• 2. Development of NCBTS (National
  Competency-Based Teacher Standards) to guide
  teacher selection, recruitment, promotion,
  training and development

• Initial Results
• Guidelines for teacher hiring and deployment have
  been revised
• Amendatory provisions to the Magna Carta for
  Teachers on compensation, hardship allowance and
  overtime pay have been consulted and drafted
• Assessment of teachers vis-à-vis the NCBTS
  currently ongoing

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• Expansion of the DepED Preschool Program

• DepED to expand coverage of 5 year-olds
• Training on standard curriculum and its related
  instructional materials will be extended to DCC
  workers handling preschool classes
• Private and NGO schools to be encouraged to adopt
  the G1 Readiness Assessment Tool
• Regulatory functions of DepED over private
  preschools are undergoing review

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• 4. Scaling up proven educational technologies in
  providing alternative delivery modes and
  alternative learning system services
• MISOSA (Modified in-school, off-school approach)
• Balik Paaralan para sa mga OSY/OSA
• Open Learning (e.g. Project EASE (Easy and
  Affordable Secondary Education), IMPACT
  (Instructions Managed by Parents, Community and
  Teachers), Night High School)

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• 5. Textbook Procurement
• 5-step content evaluation process, with
  institutional review from reputable universities
  required (Ateneo, UP, PNU, others) prior to mass
  production
• unbundling of procurement contracts into content
  and printing/delivery
• Initial Results
• Cost per copy now is P31 (elem.) and P59
  (secondary) vs. P70-P120 in 1998/99
• 11 book to pupil ratio is assured
• Higher level of confidence on textbook content
  quality
• System being modeled by WB for Southeast Asia and
  Europe

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• 6. Addressing classroom shortages
• Completion of 14,655 new rooms and repair of
  10,583 units vs. 6,000 annual target in 2007
• Completion of projects according to contract time
  and specifications
• Initial Results
• Class size standards to be improved to promote
  more effective learning - from 50 children in a
  class in 2007 to 45 in 2008
• Schools affected by super typhoons, especially in
  Bicol, have been restored

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6. Resource generation strategies

• Maximizing stakeholder support
• Private entities via Adopt-a-School
• LGU partnering arrangements feeding, school
  sites, ownership documentation, school operating
  budgets
• ODA partners

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7. Accelerating Integration of ICT in Basic
Education

• Technology-based education, including open and
  distance learning
• Massive training of teachers, administrators,
  supervisors, education managers
• Tighten system of governance
• Management information systems

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Further Immediate Policy Work on -

• Roll out of SBM Standards, NCBTS, e-NGAS and the
  DepED Budget Framework
• Development of QAAF (Quality Assurance
  Accountability Framework) for the Basic Education
  Sector Monitoring and Evaluation System
• Development of HR Plan Information System
• Public-Private Partnership Study on Education
  Service Purchasing
• Development of Principals Academy
• Manualization of Systems and Procedures for
  Financial Management and of Procurement

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LegislativeAgenda
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• 1. Institutionalization of Preschool in the
  Basic Education Cycle
• 2. RA 4670 (Magna Carta for Teachers)
• An Act Strengthening the Education Service
  Contracting Scheme for Basic Education
• 4. National Career Assessment Examination
• 5. An Act Amending the Licensure Examination for
  Teachers Law
• 6. RA 7880 (Fair and Equitable Allocation of
  DECS Budget for Capital Outlay)
• 7. PD 1146 as Amended (on GSIS)

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(No Transcript)
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Thank you and Mabuhay!
Secretary Jesli A. Lapus January 31, 2008