March 23, 2022 – The Department of Education (DepEd) Central Office recognized on Wednesday top-performing schools and field offices for their initiatives and innovations in managing the delivery of instruction amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the second edition of the Secretary’s Award for Excellence on Curriculum and Instruction (SAFE-CI).

Sixty-one (61) schools, along with four Alternative Learning System Community Learning Centers (ALS-CLCs), from Luzon (Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 5, and National Capital Region), Visayas (Regions 6 and 8), and Mindanao (Regions 10, 11, 12, and CARAGA) received recognition for their exemplary contribution to the authentic learning of public school learners.

“This is a manifestation of how we learn and how we became resilient as we carefully explore prospects of better approaches shared by education communities, and this is to meet the demands of the previous and for all of us as future leaders,” Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said.

Five School Division Offices (SDOs), namely Cagayan, Region 1; Guimaras, Region 6; Ozamiz City, Region 10; General Santos City, Region 12; and Butuan City, CARAGA were cited for their significant share. Another five Regional Offices (ROs), which includes Regions 2, 6, 11, NCR, and CARAGA, were awarded.

Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction Diosdado San Antonio expressed optimism that SAFE-CI will inspire all to put the highest priority and utmost effort towards making learning happen in the lives of every child enrolled in schools and CLCs.

“I am very confident that as we have demonstrated when we join hands in working, and that we are truly worthy of being empowered, we will be able to deliver. We will prevail,” said Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio.

Meanwhile, DepEd Region 10 Director Arturo Bayocot, and CARAGA Regional Director Ma. Gemma Ledesma, whose regions were SAFE-CI awardees, shared their best practices in improving the curriculum and instruction of quality basic education.

RD Bayocot noted that Region 10’s Alternative Delivery of Basic Education (RX ADOBE) is aligned with Sulong EduKalidad’s reform area on teacher development, which focuses on the creation of learning resources and project innovative online systems.

“We saw that the opening of the year, with the distance learning delivery modalities in place, whether blended, was fairly effective and then we have made a partnership with the Regional Development Council, and we have garnered awards and recognition in the implementation of the BE-LCP,” RD Bayocot said.

RD Ledesma, on the other hand, showcased the region’s learning-focused leadership in materializing the articulated programs and activities approach for curriculum and instruction in the “Padayon ang Edukasyon sa Caraga: Learning Continuity Plan for Basic Education in Caraga.”

The list of the 2nd SAFE-CI awardees is provided in DM-CI-2022-049.

 

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