November 5, 2020 – Pursuing the mission to deliver basic education amidst the pandemic, the Department of Education (DepEd) and Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones scored highest net approval ratings in a nationwide survey conducted by Pulse Asia last September.

DepEd’s net approval of 73% was the highest among the line agencies in the executive branch while Secretary Briones had the top net approval rating among the Cabinet members with 60%, according to Pulse Asia Research’s September 14 – 20, 2020 Ulat ng Bayan Survey Report.

The awareness for Secretary Briones also grew to 93% from 75% (+18 percentage points) last year, gaining a significant increase in the National Capital Region, Luzon, and the Visayas.

DepEd Secretary’s performance approval rose in the rural areas of the country (from 62% to 78% or +16 percentage points) from the last survey.

“This only shows that more Filipinos appreciate the commitment and effort of the Department in offering learning opportunities and hope amidst these uncertain times. We will use this trust of our people as motivation in pushing for more reforms in basic education,” Secretary Briones said.

“We thank our teachers, learners, parents, and partners for this overwhelming support. The past months were not easy for education but the whole community rallied behind the Department for learning to continue,” Briones added.

The survey revealed that a majority of Filipino (60%) agree with the Department’s decision to open School Year 2020-2021. A quarter (25%) of the respondents disagree while 15% are undecided.

Survey participants were asked “Gaano kayo sumasang-ayon o hindi sumasang-ayon sa desisyon ng DepEd na magbukas pa rin ang klase sa taong 2020-2021 ngunit sa pamamagitan ng distance learning?”

Results show more residents in rural areas (65%) agreeing to open the school year than those who reside in urban areas (54%).

As of November 4, 2020, there are 25.03 million learners enrolled for SY 2020-2021 with registration in public schools of 22.75 million surpassing the previous school year enrollment (100.7%).

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