Latest news with #Angara
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Climate
- GMA Network
Angara urges public: Don't pressure LGUs to suspend classes
Education Secretary Juan Edgardo 'Sonny' Angara on Monday appealed to local governments and parents not to hastily suspend classes during light rains, warning that frequent cancellations have a negative effect on learning among Filipino students. 'Nakikiusap din kami sa publiko, mga magulang, mga estudyante. Huwag natin masyadong i-pressure ang ating local government, chief executives na konting ulan mag-suspend na tayo dahil pag sinumatotal natin ang nawawalang araw, malaki ang dagok o tama sa ating mga estudyante, yung tinatawag na learning loss,' Angara said in an ambush interview on Monday. (We appeal to the public, to parents, to students. Let's avoid pressuring our local government officials to suspend classes every time it rains lightly, because when we total all the days we missed, the impact on our students is huge—this what we call learning loss.) He said the Department of Education (DepEd) is now requiring schools to hold make-up classes to ensure students can still complete the required learning hours. 'Yung ini-emphasize namin that there must be make-up classes kasi matindi na yung learning loss talaga. Apektado ang bata pag masyadong maraming cancellation," he said. (We're emphasizing that there must be make-up classes because the learning loss is already severe. Students are really affected when there are too many cancellations.) These make-up sessions, however, do not have to fall on weekends. 'Saturday or after school kung kailan. Depende rin sa availability ng guro," he added. (It could be on Saturdays or after school hours—depending on the availability of teachers.) Catching up Angara's statement comes as the country continues to face worsening academic performance among learners, particularly in reading and math. He said DepEd is ramping up its interventions through the ARAL Program, which provides personalized tutorial and remediation sessions. 'Well it's still quite significant especially sa literacy at math. So we're addressing it this year with the Aral program. Nakita natin na very effective yung pagbibigay ng personalized tutorials," Angara noted. (The proficiency gap is still quite significant, especially in literacy and math. So we're addressing that this year through the Aral program. We've seen that giving personalized tutorials is very effective.) He also credited President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his strong support of education reforms, including an expanded feeding program, hiring of more teachers, additional classrooms, and hiring of non-teaching staff to reduce the burden on educators. The National Launch of the Expanded School-Based Feeding Program held in Antipolo City, which officially kicked off the rollout of the improved initiative targeting thousands of kindergarten pupils across the country. DepEd said the school-based feeding program has been expanded to cover 120 days and now applies to all kindergarten students nationwide—marking the first time the program has gone fully universal at that level. 'Nasa 120 days na tayo. At the first time universal feeding, ibig sabihin lahat ng bata sa kindergarten ay kasama sa feeding program this year. Dahil yun talaga ang instruction sa amin ni Secretary Ted Herbosa ni Pangulong Marcos na palawigin, palawakin, palalimin itong school feeding program natin,' Angara said. (We're now at 120 days. And for the first time, it's universal feeding—meaning all kindergarten children are included in the program this year. That's really the instruction given to us by Health Secretary Ted Herbosa and President Marcos: to expand and solidify the school feeding program.) 'Parang dati parang nasa 30-60 days lang. So ngayon umabot tayo ng 120 days," he added. (Before, it used to be only around 30 to 60 days. Now we've reached 120 days.) — RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Health
- GMA Network
DepEd expands feeding program to all kindergarten learners
All public kindergarten students across the Philippines will now receive daily nutritious meals under the Department of Education's (DepEd) expanded School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP). The program was formally launched Monday at Juan Sumulong Elementary School in Antipolo City, where education officials outlined the expansion as part of a broader national strategy focused on health, learning, and child development. With a budget of ?11.77 billion for 2025 and a proposed ?14 billion for 2026, the expanded SBFP aims to provide daily hot meals and fortified food products to approximately 3.4 million learners—including all kindergarten pupils and undernourished children in Grades 1 to 6. 'To be implemented over 120 school days, this year's feeding program is no longer limited to severely wasted or underweight students,' DepEd said in a statement. 'Instead, it now covers all kindergarten learners to support cognitive development and classroom readiness from an early age.' DepEd Secretary Juan Edgardo 'Sonny' Angara emphasized the role of nutrition in education outcomes during the launch. 'Kapag may sapat na nutrisyon ang mga bata, mas madali silang matuto. Hindi natin kailangan hintayin pang magutom o magkasakit sila bago kumilos,' he said. (When children have adequate nutrition, they learn more easily. We don't need to wait for them to go hungry or get sick before we act.) 'Support' According to DepEd, last year's program led to a notable decrease in the number of severely wasted kindergarten learners, which dropped from 113,451 to 47,281. Educators have also reported improvements in student alertness, participation, and overall health. In regions such as Cagayan Valley (Region II) and Davao (Region XI), local data showed that cases of severely undernourished kindergarten children fell by up to 80 percent following implementation of the feeding program. The agency also cited growing infrastructure supporting the initiative, with 74 central kitchens now operational and over 44,000 public schools participating in the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program—school gardens that help provide fresh vegetables while also promoting nutrition education. The program is being carried out in coordination with local government units, the Department of Health, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and civil society partners. Officials stressed that success depends not only on food provision but also on sustained support for children's health, instruction, and home environments. 'Sama-samang gawain ito. Gobyerno ang nangunguna, pero kailangan ang suporta ng buong komunidad,' Angara added. (This is a shared effort. The government is leading, but support from the whole community is essential.) Future plans for the SBFP include improving health monitoring, refining meal quality, and expanding coverage to additional grade levels, particularly Grades 1 to 3, where nutritional gaps continue to affect learning outcomes. DepEd is also exploring increased partnerships with local farmers through homegrown school feeding models. The initiative is part of the administration's broader goals to invest in human capital development by addressing malnutrition early in life—an approach aligned with long-term efforts to improve learning outcomes and reduce inequality. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
7 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
DepEd calls for stronger DPWH, LGU collab to build more roads to schools
Pupils of Oro Elementary School in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte scale mountains to attend classes in this 2015 file photo. Courtesy: Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho The Department of Education (DepEd) is seeking stronger interagency collaboration with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and local government units (LGUs) to build more access roads leading to public schools, especially those in remote, hard-to-reach communities. In a proposal submitted to the DPWH, the DepEd recommended that access roads to public schools be included in the former's programming and investment plans, particularly for newly built schools that currently lack proper road access. Education Secretary Sonny Angara highlighted the urgency of the issue by sharing his first-hand observations during school visits in geographically isolated areas. "Noong pumunta kami sa Buenavista, Agusan del Norte, nakita natin ang realidad. May mga estudyanteng kailangang tumawid ng ilog at umakyat ng bundok para lang makapasok sa paaralan," Angara said in a statement. (When we visited Buenavista, Agusan del Norte, we saw the reality on the ground. There are students who need to cross rivers and climb mountains just to reach school.) "Hindi puwedeng puro classrooms lang ang itatayo natin kung wala namang daan papunta roon. Kung may farm-to-market road, dapat may road-to-school din," he added. (We can't just keep building classrooms if there are no roads that lead to them. If there are farm-to-market roads, there should also be road-to-school programs.) Angara emphasized that roads are as essential as classrooms in ensuring that education is truly accessible for all learners, especially in "last mile" schools located in far-flung areas. The DepEd pointed to DPWH's existing partnerships with other government agencies, including the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP) with the Department of Tourism, the Farm-to-Market Road Development Program (FMRDP) with the Department of Agriculture, and the ROLL-IT initiative with the Department of Trade and Industry—as working models that can be adapted for education. To institutionalize this strategy, DepEd is proposing a special provision under its 2026 Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF). The provision would require that all newly constructed school buildings have corresponding access roads, with DPWH and LGUs coordinating the immediate construction of roads where none exist. The DepEd also added that it is ready to work closely with DPWH and local governments to identify priority areas, ensure funding alignment, and implement infrastructure that enables students to reach their schools safely and reliably. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
07-07-2025
- GMA Network
DepEd to revise curriculum to include responsible AI use — Angara
To better prepare Filipino learners and educators for the fast-evolving digital landscape, Education Secretary Sonny Angara has announced that the agency is set to revise the national curriculum to include training on artificial intelligence use. 'Soon, babaguhin na rin natin 'yung ating curriculum para matutong gumamit ng A.I. ang mga bata at matutong gumamit ng A.I. 'yung mga guro natin. 'Yan ang pagbabagong ina-anticipate natin sa darating na mga taon,' said Angara. (Soon, we will revise the curriculum so that students and teachers alike can learn how to use A.I. This is a change we anticipate in the coming years.) This move comes amid growing use of AI tools by students — some in secret — and educators alike. In a report by Vonne Aquino on Unang Balita, a college sophomore referred to as 'John' admitted to discreetly using AI to complete assignments. 'Nagse-search po ako ng topic tapos, doon po is kinukuha ko po 'yung text (I search for a topic and then copy the text from there.),' he said. To avoid detection, he mixes the AI-generated content with his own ideas. 'Hinahaluan ko ng konting sariling opinion ko po (I add a bit of my own opinion to it),' he added. On the other hand, educators, like Daisy Marasigan, a senior high school teacher in Pagbilao, Quezon, are using AI more openly and proactively. 'I think it's high time — especially in the 21st century — na kailangan na nating i-embrace ang A.I., but of course there is caution,' she said. (I think it's high time — especially in the 21st century — that we embrace A.I., but of course with caution.) She has even posted tutorials on social media about using AI to create lesson plans. Despite these innovations, experts are warning about the risks of overreliance. A recent MIT study suggests that using AI to write essays may contribute to 'cognitive debt' — a reduced effort to think critically — potentially weakening a student's ability to learn independently. The findings, however, are not yet peer-reviewed and remain inconclusive. Meanwhile, Dr. Jhennie Villar, dean and program chairperson at a local university, believes AI has already changed Philippine education — but with limits. 'Karaniwan, ginagamit ito bilang gabay pero hindi bilang sagot sa kabuuan kasi kailangan pa rin natin ng critical thinking, kailangan pa rin natin na mag-aral… (Usually, it's used as a guide, not as the entire answer, because we still need critical thinking — we still need to study),' she said. She said in their university, AI-generated content is limited to 15% of undergraduate theses and research papers. Detection tools are also in place to prevent misuse. Meanwhile, teacher's group Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) acknowledged that cellphones and tablets are already part of daily classroom realities, especially in public schools where traditional learning materials are lacking. ACT National Capital Region president Ruby Bernardo explained that teachers and students alike turn to digital devices to access supplemental learning content such as YouTube videos and online modules. AI tools, now increasingly accessible to both students and teachers, can help in tasks like translation and cultural research, according to Bernardo. She, however, noted the challenge lies in guiding students on how to use them responsibly. —Sherylin Untalan/AOL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
03-07-2025
- General
- GMA Network
DepEd expands school garden, farm school programs to support nutrition, agri-education
The Department of Education (DepEd) has expanded its Gulayan sa Paaralan Program (GPP) to cover 44,965 schools nationwide this school year — a 50.6% increase from 2022–2023. The GPP plays a pivotal role in supporting DepEd's year-round School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) by supplying nutritious, locally grown produce while enriching nutrition education among learners — a model that has gained traction especially in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas. Funded through local school resources and the SBFP, the GPP empowers schools to grow fresh, organic vegetables that supplement student meals. These gardens also serve as outdoor classrooms where students learn about agriculture, sustainability, and food security—particularly vital in rural and last-mile communities. 'Kapag natuto ang mga bata kung saan nanggagaling ang pagkain nila at paano ito pinapalaki, mas naeengganyo silang kumain nang masustansya,' said Education Secretary Juan Edgardo 'Sonny' Angara in a statement Thursday. (When children understand where their food comes from and how it's grown, they are more encouraged to eat healthy.) 'Hindi lang ito tungkol sa gulay. Disiplina, pagtutulungan, at malasakit sa kalikasan at kapwa ang tinuturo natin dito,' he added. (This isn't just about vegetables. We're teaching discipline, cooperation, and caring for the environment as well as others.) As of 2025, 94% of public schools are implementing garden-based learning interventions. DepEd has also significantly increased GPP funding, from ?10 million in 2021 to ?20 million in 2024, with a projected ?21.8 million budget for 2025 — reflecting the Department's sustained commitment to nutrition and holistic learning. Complementing the Gulayan sa Paaralan is DepEd's continued expansion of Farm Schools, an initiative originally championed by the late Senator Edgardo J. Angara and institutionalized through Republic Act No. 10618, or the Rural Farm Schools Act. There are currently 152 farm schools operating across four regions, providing hands-on training in agriculture, agribusiness, and entrepreneurial skills — particularly for learners in rural areas. 'Kailangan nating palakasin ang suporta sa mga farm school dahil mahalagang bahagi ito ng food security at pag-unlad ng kabuhayan sa kanayunan,' Secretary Angara emphasized. (We need to strengthen support for farm schools because they are vital to food security and rural economic development.) Angara reiterated the need for increased investment in farm schools to equip students with practical skills aligned with national goals on agriculture, sustainability, and inclusive growth. —Sherylin Untalan/RF, GMA Integrated News
