#InclusiveEducation
With a total of sixty-six (66) participants from the academe, civil society, partner communities and local government units, the #InclusiveEducation Conference was one of the most attended among the five (5) breakout sessions for the day.
Moderated by Mr. Leo Tadena, COSCA's Development Specialist for the Lasallian Accessible, Relevant and Alternative Learning Component (L-ARAL), participants got very much engaged on the topic "Inclusive Quality Education" presented by Ms. Mariel Bayangos, Officer-in-Charge of DepEd's Policy Research Division and Planning Service.
Mariel's presentation revolved around answering three key questions that she posed:
For her first question, Mariel compared the 2010 and 2015 Philippine performance in key education measures namely: gross and net enrollment rates*, cohort survival rates**, completion rates** and achievement rates****, respectively. She showed how the country improved in terms of survival, completion and achievement rates for both elementary and secondary school levels. The gross and net enrollment rates in elementary however, declined. This could mean that the quality of education may have improved, but the proportion of elementary children enrolled, decreased.
In high school, gross enrollment rate decreased while net enrollment rates increased. This only means that more 12-15 years old students enrolled in high school even if the enrollment capacity of our secondary schools decreased.
For her second question, the K-12 educational reform, Alternative Learning System (ALS), Special Education Program, Indigenous People's Education Program and Madrasah Education Program were highlighted. These initiatives, institutionalized through policies such as the Universal Kindergarten Law and the K-12 Law, ensure that Filipino students seamlessly go through the different levels of education from kindergarten to technical-vocational school or university studies. Aside from improvements in the school curricula, Mariel also shared DepEd's efforts in providing scholarships, improving teacher quality and vulnerable sector's access to education.
Moderated by Mr. Leo Tadena, COSCA's Development Specialist for the Lasallian Accessible, Relevant and Alternative Learning Component (L-ARAL), participants got very much engaged on the topic "Inclusive Quality Education" presented by Ms. Mariel Bayangos, Officer-in-Charge of DepEd's Policy Research Division and Planning Service.
Mariel's presentation revolved around answering three key questions that she posed:
- What have we achieved and learned from the MDGs?
- What are we doing for inclusive quality education?
- Where are we headed?
For her first question, Mariel compared the 2010 and 2015 Philippine performance in key education measures namely: gross and net enrollment rates*, cohort survival rates**, completion rates** and achievement rates****, respectively. She showed how the country improved in terms of survival, completion and achievement rates for both elementary and secondary school levels. The gross and net enrollment rates in elementary however, declined. This could mean that the quality of education may have improved, but the proportion of elementary children enrolled, decreased.
In high school, gross enrollment rate decreased while net enrollment rates increased. This only means that more 12-15 years old students enrolled in high school even if the enrollment capacity of our secondary schools decreased.
For her second question, the K-12 educational reform, Alternative Learning System (ALS), Special Education Program, Indigenous People's Education Program and Madrasah Education Program were highlighted. These initiatives, institutionalized through policies such as the Universal Kindergarten Law and the K-12 Law, ensure that Filipino students seamlessly go through the different levels of education from kindergarten to technical-vocational school or university studies. Aside from improvements in the school curricula, Mariel also shared DepEd's efforts in providing scholarships, improving teacher quality and vulnerable sector's access to education.
Participants warmly received DepEd's upcoming plans to expand ALS implementation, increase education spending and full implementation of the K-12 Program. The talk ended with an open forum that saw many of the participants very much interested in pursuing inclusive quality education in their own spheres of influence.
*Gross Enrollment Rate - "refers to the total enrollment in a given level of education as a percentage of the population which according to national regulations should be enrolled at this level, i.e., age 6-11 for elementary and 12-15 for secondary. It is a measure of the 'capacity' of a region's elementary and secondary schools.
**Net Enrollment Rate or Participation Rate - "the ratio between the enrollment in the school-age range to the total population of that age range."
***Completion Rate - the percentage of first year entrants in a level of education who complete / finish the level in accordance with the required years of study.
****Achievement Rates - refers to the degree of performance in different subject areas in various levels of education.
Source: DepEd. (2013, October 25). Fact Sheet. Retrieved from DepEd: http://www.deped.gov.ph/sites/default/files/datasets/2013/factsheetOct%2025%202013.xls
Conference Presentation
Center for Social Concern and Action
2nd Floor, Br. Connon Hall, De La Salle University -Manila
2401 Taft Avenue, 0922 Manila, Philippines
Telefax: (632) 523-4143
2nd Floor, Br. Connon Hall, De La Salle University -Manila
2401 Taft Avenue, 0922 Manila, Philippines
Telefax: (632) 523-4143