The Department of Education (DepEd) is the government agency responsible for the implementation of basic education in the Philippines. This is the executive branch of the Philippine government’s department responsible for ensuring access to, promoting equality in, and improving basic education.
Also Read: What is the Meaning of DSWD – Department of Social Welfare and Development
The Philippine Department of Education is in charge of administering and governing the country’s basic education system. It is the country’s leading educator and planner of primary and secondary education in the Philippines. It is in charge of establishing Philippine educational policy. Its main office headquarters is located at the DepEd Complex in Meralco Avenue, Pasig.
Contents
Overview
“Education is a form of wealth that can’t be stolen from your,” – Filipinos believe in this saying. The government holds on to this saying that’s why they built a department that mainly focuses on education. This is none other than the Department of Education (DepEd). The Department of Education is the executive branch of the Philippine government in charge of ensuring quality basic education was available for every Filipino.
It is the primary agency tasked with managing and governing the Philippine basic education system. It is the major policymaker for Philippine education and oversees the primary and secondary school systems.
The Department of Education is now led by the Secretary of Education, who was appointed by the President of the Philippines and confirmed by the Commission on Appointments. The secretary is a Cabinet member. Leonor Briones is the current Secretary of Education. The said department aims to provide equitable access to high-quality basic education and to establish the groundwork for lifelong study and service. Education will serve as a ladder to success for every Filipino people.
What is DepEd
DepEd is an abbreviation for the Department of Education.
Purpose of DepEd
The Department of Education (DepEd) mainly focuses on developing, administering, and organizing formal and non-formal basic education policies, plans, programs, and projects.
About this Agency
Republic Act 9155, also known as the Governance of Basic Education Act, was passed in August 2001. This act renamed DECS to Department of Education (DepEd) and revised the responsibilities of field offices of the said department.
The act established an overall framework for school empowerment by increasing headmasters’ leadership positions and encouraging transparency and local responsibility for school administrations. The purpose of basic education was to provide students and young adults with the skills, information, and values they needed to become compassionate, self-sufficient, productive, and patriotic citizens.
In 2010, then-Senator Benigno Aquino III stated his intention to establish the K-12 basic education cycle in order to raise the number of years of compulsory education to thirteen. This, he claims, will “provide everyone an equal chance to thrive” and “provide quality education and prosperous jobs.” It was when Benigno Aquino III became the president of the Philippines the K-6-4-2 basic education system was officially established.
A Filipino must get through one year of kindergarten, six years of elementary school, four years of junior high school, and two years of senior high school.
A lot of agencies are attached to the Department of Education:
- Bureau of Elementary Education
- Bureau of Secondary Education
- Bureau of Alternative Learning Systems
- Early Childhood Care and Development Council
- National Education Testing Center
- National Educators Academy of the Philippines
- Educational Development Projects
- Health and Nutrition Center
- Technical-Vocational Education Task Force
- National Book Development Board
- National Council for Children’s Television
- National Museum
- Philippine High School for the Arts
Functions and Responsibilities
To make their programs and policies possible and running well, the Department was divided into two major groups. The first is Central Office maintains the overall administration of primary education at the national level.
The other part is the Field Offices, which are responsible for the regional and local coordination and administration of the Department. The Department should have no more than four (4) Undersecretaries and four (4) Assistant Secretaries with at least one Undersecretary and one Assistant Secretary who are career service officers chosen among the staff of the Department.
At present, the Department operates with four (4) Undersecretaries managing the Curriculum and Instruction, Finance, and Administration, Governance and Operations, and Legal and Legislative Affairs.
DepEd Programs
The Department of Education has plenty of programs to offer, in fact, they release programs almost every year, and the list below are only some of the best programs for the education system of the Philippines.
Preschool Service Contracting Scheme
A six-month schooling session for preschool entries who were not accommodated during the inauguration of courses in October.
Kinder Summer Program (KSP)
Grade One student who was unable to enroll in the Kindergarten program are offered a month of formal schooling preparation.
Integrated Core Curriculum (ICC)
A regional program that created and implemented developmentally appropriate and integrative curricula for the growth of several developmental domains.
On-The-Spot Integrative Assessment for Preschool Education Program (OSIAPEP)
A regional initiative instrument was used to test/evaluate the efficacy of students’ performance in many developmental domains in a non-threatening way.
Intensive School-Based Instructional Supervision (ISBIS)
A regional program centered on intense monitoring of instruction, providing instructors with technical support and guidance, with the ultimate goal of boosting pupil performance across all grade levels in the five core learning areas.
A Day in School (ADIS)
Returning DepEd-NCR to its rightful place as THE PREMIER REGION through pupil achievement) Assess and improve instruction and instructional supervision from the regional to the school level by providing immediate assistance, planning short-term projects and interventions to further improve the performance levels of teachers, principals, and supervisors, and ultimately ending with an increase in pupil achievement levels.
Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)
Mass Training of Grade 1 Teacher and School Heads on Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) in the NCR
Expansion of SPED Program
Increase the number of public/private schools offering SPED programs for various exceptionalities through self-contained courses. Increase the number of recognized SPED Centers in public schools. Continue mapping of public/private schools that serve children with special needs (CSNs), including the number of organized courses and their population.
Seminar-Workshop on Acceleration Program for the Gifted and Talented Children
Inform teachers and guidance counselors about how to use the many testing techniques for gifted and talented youngsters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions and answers about this department:
1. Can a learner change the path or strand he or she wants to take?
Answer: Yes. In all schools, a student or pupil has the freedom to freely pick his or her topic of study, subject to current curricula, and to continue his or her course until graduation, except in cases of academic deficit or violations of disciplinary norms.
2. Can a school record that has been lost, damaged, or destroyed be certified, verified, and/or validated?
Answer: Yes, it is possible. The applicant should be urged to provide any of the following as a valid basis for academic school record reconstruction. Sworn statements from any two (2) of the applicant’s classmates, principals, or teachers, accompanied by school guardian pictures, souvenir program, or graduation program; or a duly certified copy of the learner’s Form 137 or Form 138 on file at any tertiary learning institution; or a diploma/transcript of records on file in the learner’s current/previous employer/s.
3. What exactly is an accredited school?
Answer: An accredited school is a private school that has received a government authorization or DepEd approval from the Regional Director to provide basic education. It may also refer to schools that are authorized by law or by DepEd regulations and guidelines to provide basic education.
4. What information should be provided throughout the enrollment process?
Answer: The Philippine Statistics Authority issues birth certificates (PSA). A certificate provided by the National Statistics Office may be acceptable. In the absence of a PSA birth certificate, the parent or guardian must produce a birth certificate (late registration) from the local civil registrar or a barangay certificate that contains the child’s basic details, such as:
- The child’s name (first name, middle name, last name)
- Gender
- Your birth date
- Parents’ names
5. What is the impact of Kto12 on the College Curriculum?
Answer: The College General Education curriculum will have fewer units. Subjects that have been taken up in Basic Education will be removed from the College General Education curriculum. Details of the new GE Curriculum may be found in CHED Memorandum Order No. 20, series of 2013.
6. What is ALS?
Answer: A program designed to provide an alternative learning path for the Out-of-School Youth and Adults (OSYA) who are literate but have not completed high school and completed ten years of basic education as required by the Philippine Government Constitution. School dropouts will be eligible to participate in this program outside of formal schooling, completely basic and secondary education systems.
7. What is ECS Grant?
Answer: As a student, you can choose to study in a private school with special cash assistance from the government. The ESC or Education Service Granting is a program presented with certificates as proof of the government’s commitment to supporting a qualified Filipino in its education in a private high school for as long as all the entrance requirements were met, as well as those for regular promotion to each succeeding school year until they graduate.
Summary
A lot of people here and abroad say that education in the Philippines is considered poor. This is also the reason why the Department of Education kept on trying to improve the quality of education here in the Philippines.
Now that the basic education has become 12 years, students will get more prepared for the next stage of their life which is being in college. The additional 2-year education or Senior high would be more useful if your chosen strand is connected to your future course in college. Education is now free, there is no reason to get left behind, just do your part.