(Address at the 2019 World Teachers Day Celebrations,
Limketkai Atrium, Cagayan de Oro City)
Sec. Leonor Magtolis Briones Department of Education
October 5, 2019
Today, I greet our more than 900,000 teachers and school
leaders in the Department of Education (DepEd), our teachers in the private
schools, teachers in higher education, and our retired teachers, a very happy
National and World Teachers’ Day.
I will start with the good news.
With the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)
completing its study on benchmarking of salaries of government personnel, we
anticipate that the promised new round of salary increase for all employees of
government will be announced by the Office of the President or its authorized
representative soon.
But the good news comes with a challenge. As we increase
the salaries and improve the terms of employment of our public school teachers,
we expect our teachers to be the driving force to raise the quality of the
country’s basic education.
Today, education quality is our biggest concern. While
investing in education has produced major gains in access to education, the
evidence is clear that the quality of our learning outcomes leaves much to be
desired.
We administer large scale assessment of learning outcomes
through the standardized National Achievement Test (NAT) for Grade 6, Grade 10,
and Grade 12. The average results in all subject areas and 21st century skills
are mostly at low proficiency levels. Low proficiency means our learners are on
average only able to correctly answer between three to five questions for every
10 questions in NAT.
This is the cumulation of our education system since the
foundation of our Department on June 23, 1898. I have announced in our budget
hearings that even as we address the remaining gaps in access, we have shifted
the focus of our reform agenda to education quality.
The standards of quality have changed. The 21st century
and the fourth industrial revolution have brought rapid changes in the world.
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and robots have transformed
institutions like education. AI also changed the way people learn since educational
materials are becoming accessible to all through smart devices and
computers.These have also brought changes in the expectations for learning
outcomes among our students. For example, in reading, as various sources and
types of information become available to our students through information
technology, it is no longer enough that our students are able to read and
comprehend continuous text in textbooks. They must now be able to read,
comprehend, compare, analyze, process, and integrate from multiple text sources
not only in printed format, but also from unlimited digital sources.
In the OECD PISA international test that we joined for
the first time in its 2018 round, the test for reading involves being able to
read fluently, locate information, understand, and evaluate and reflect.
Evaluating and reflecting requires being able to:
Assess the quality and credibility of information, that
is, whether the information is valid, up-to-date, accurate and/or unbiased.
Reflect on content and form, that is, the quality and
style of writing.
Detect and handle conflict, that is, being aware of and
able to assess information that contradict each other.
In Math and Science, it is no longer enough to know the
mathematical operations or the science concepts. Our students are now being
tested for their ability to apply these in the context of real-world
situations. In math, this requires being able to “use mathematical concepts,
procedures, facts and tools to describe, explain and predict phenomena”. In
science, it requires being able to explain phenomena scientifically, evaluate
and design scientific inquiry, interpret data and evidence, and draw
appropriate scientific conclusions.
This is what 21st century skills in the K to 12
curriculum is all about. It is not enough for our students to master concepts
and subject matter. They also need to have digital literacy, and have the
skills for problem solving and critical thinking.
In our country, there are already classrooms that are
ready for the 21st century. I have visited classrooms in Taguig and Batangas,
in which every learner is equipped with an iMac computer, with access to
learning resources such as e-books.
But the question is, have our teachers kept pace with the
changes in teaching required for the 21st century, so that in turn our students
will be able to keep pace with changes in the required standards of quality?
Have our teacher education institutions kept pace with the needed pre-service
preparations for teachers in the 21st century? Have our in-service training
kept pace with the professional development needed by teachers of the 21st
century?
The challenge is for our teachers to be able to think of
new and innovative ways of teaching. An example of this is Dr. Ensalada; he
fuses IP culture with how he teaches Math. In other countries, teachers are
using technology to enhance teaching such as through gamification – using
concepts and theories in games for education – and playful learning. Also,
other countries have started teaching learners how to create games, enhancing
their creativity and problem-solving skills.
The learners today are very different from the learners
before. Generation Z, learners born from 1997 onwards, are anxious because they
know a lot of things. This is due to the influx of information and data that
are very accessible to these learners. They are concerned about what is
happening on our planet, and what the future holds for them. With this, we need
to understand what is happening with our learners. We need to listen to them.
Other countries have already started using neuroscience to understand what the
learners feel, what part of their brain works when doing specific tasks, and
how they learn.
How is the Department responding to the herculean task of
rising from the reality of low education quality? The focus in the past has
been in changing the curriculum through K to 12, and in upgrading the learning
environment through new school buildings and modernizing facilities. But these
are not enough.
The battle for quality basic education will be fought and
won at our classrooms, by our teachers. Ultimately, it is in the classrooms
where the day-to-day learning of our students happen. I have worked from day
one to support our teachers through policy and program reforms. For instance,
alongside our initiative to expand the Teachers positions is our ongoing
transformation of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP),
whereby we are integrating the professional development program and aligning it
to the career progression and promotion system for teachers.
The new professional development program will start in
2020. This new professional development program, aligned with expanded
promotion opportunities, will have a built-in process for teachers to be able
to translate their own learning into classroom teaching improvements. The new
professional development program will empower our teachers to make
transformative reforms in classroom instruction for quality.
There is much work to be done. The fight for quality will
require no less than a national movement, with our teachers at the forefront.
Our Teachers’ Day national theme this year, “Gurong
Pilipino: Handa sa Makabagong Pagbabago”, as well as the global theme, “Young
Teachers: The future of the Profession”, are very apt for the biggest challenge
that our basic education system faces today. On this World and National
Teachers’ Day, I reach out to all our teachers and school leaders, seek your
support, to renew everyone’s commitment and motivation for an all-out effort
for education quality.
Magandang hapon, at mabuhay ang mga guro ng Kagawaran ng
Edukasyon.
(Transcription courtesy of Usec Diosdado San Antonio's fb post at https://web.facebook.com/diosdado.sanantonio)
(Transcription courtesy of Usec Diosdado San Antonio's fb post at https://web.facebook.com/diosdado.sanantonio)
