BANGUED, ABRA, March 10, 2020 – As the Department of Education (DepEd) continues to rollout Sulong EduKalidad in the grassroots, Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones emphasized that teachers will be at the forefront of winning the battle of addressing challenges in quality education.

In her speech during the Abra’s Educators Day on Friday, March 6, Secretary Briones honored the teachers of DepEd, whom she considered the ‘warriors’ for quality education.

“Pinaka focus talaga ng quality education natin ay ang teachers. We will be paying more attention to you. We cannot pivot towards quality education without major changes in the curriculum and that means upskilling and upgrading the quality also of our teachers,” Briones said to at least 200 public school teachers in the province.

“I have said this again and again, the battle for quality education will take place not in the Central Office, not in the Congress, not in Malacanang, but in the classroom itself. We will always be behind our teachers in this battle for quality in education,” she added.

Briones cited DepEd’s moves that will directly benefit public school teachers, including an intensified teachers’ in-service program through the ongoing transformation of National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) and expanding the professional ranks for teachers.

The DepEd chief hopes for the support and cooperation of the teachers for Sulong Edukalidad, the Department’s campaign in its pivot to quality education, in return.

Briones also vowed to personally explain various initiatives and decision of the management to classroom teachers whenever she visits regional or field offices.

“Next time I visit a place, a province, a city or a region, there has to be a meeting with the teachers because they have to be briefed on what is happening with the state of education in the entire country,” she said.

Before going to Abra, Briones also dropped by at the Regional Workshop in Laoag to sit with teaching and non-teaching personnel of Ilocos Norte.

The Education secretary thanked the Provincial Government of Abra for holding its first-ever Educators’ Day as part of its Kawayan Festival. She acknowledged that support of local government units (LGUs) are crucial to the success of the education system.

“Ang buhay ng public school system magiging lalong maganda yan with the full support of the local government. The best places with fascinating advances in technologies are in local governments that gives full support in education,” she said.

After her speech, Briones visited San Gregorio Elementary School in La Paz, Abra to observe its use of Open Educational Resources (OER) and met learners who make Kattukong (Tabungaw in Ilocano), a traditional hat in Abra.

 

END