Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte on Wednesday said the Department of Education will continue to support the strategic partnership between the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization and the region’s education sector to address equitable access to education and post- pandemic recovery.
Duterte made this announcement in her welcome speech for the opening ceremony of the 52nd SEAMEO Council Conference at EDSA Shangrila Hotel in Mandaluyong City.
Duterte told education ministers from Asean neighboring countries that the DepEd under her term has recently launched the agency’s MATATAG agenda.
“Matatag is the Filipino word for resilience. This is our commitment to the country, our learners, and our fellow Filipinos as we work towards improving the basic education sector,” she said.
The DepEd chief added that the agenda acts as a roadmap of the agency as they develop and prepare initiatives to support the Southeast Asian education sector and the Seven Priority Areas of SEAMEO from 2023 to 2025.
MATATAG stands for four key components: “MAking the curriculum relevant to produce job-ready, active, and responsible citizens; TAking steps to accelerate the delivery of basic education facilities and provision of services; TAking good care of learners by promoting learner well-being, inclusive education, and a positive learning environment; and Giving support for teachers to teach better. “
Duterte also said that the Philippine government, under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has committed to the MATATAG education agenda and has made a national commitment to increase investments in education.
“The President has emphasized that we cannot fail our children – we need to help them so they become great,” she said.
“We have also urged all sectors to help us in intensifying efforts to ensure that the education we give our learners will be relevant and responsive to the changing times,” the DepEd chief added.
She also urged everyone to embrace the spirit of “bayanihan.”
“Like the act of bayanihan, let us continue to value education as a shared duty,” she said.
“As education leaders, we have a huge responsibility to bear. The decisions we make today will help determine the quality of life in our countries and the entire ASEAN region, and the ripple effect of these decisions can reverberate for generations to come,” the DepEd chief added.
The SEAMEO Council is composed of 11 Southeast Asian education ministers. The presidency of the Council is assumed by the member countries on a rotation basis in alphabetical order (unless a country requests to be skipped in the rotation). The current SEAMEO Council president is Singapore, with the Philippines as vice president.
On 9 February 2023, during the plenary session, the Philippines, represented by Duterte, will be formally elected as SEAMEO Council president.