Borrowing for Quality of Life

Borrowing for Quality of Life (Day 30)

by Rey Laguda with Charmie Lising

(This is the  30th day of 50-day journey of DepEd Undersecretary Rey Laguda as being serialized here with his permission, culled from his Facebook account - Blogger/owner)

Education reform is not just about designing curriculum, building classrooms and facilities, and hiring teachers and personnel. It’s also about strengthening the organization and the bureaucracy mandated to oversee the entire education system of our country. It is important to work towards improving the quality of life of the people who operate within the bureaucracy, and one of the ways to do this is to help them attain financial security.

image - pixabay

In an effort to protect teachers from excessive loan interest rates and abusive collection practices, DepEd revamped the Automatic Payroll Deduction System (APDS) in 2003. By re-accrediting Private Lending Institutions (PLIs) that will be allowed to use the facility and formalizing memoranda of agreements with them, DepEd was able to set stricter policies on the use of APDS, which include putting a cap of 18% to the allowable nominal interest rates (approximately 33% Effective Interest Rate). Prior to this re-accreditation, PLIs were charging interest rates that were as high as a whopping 120%.

Investing in Leaders

Investing in Leaders (Day 18)

by Rey Laguda

(This is the 18th day of 50-day journey of DepEd Undersecretary Rey Laguda as being serialized here with his permission, culled from his Facebook account - Blogger/owner)

In sustaining reforms, people need to be engaged in the process of implementing it. In the last six years, the Department of Education (DepEd) has continued to invest not only in its facilities and projects but also in its personnel through continued career development and training. With the roll out of the K to 12 Basic Education Program, arguably the biggest reform in education, DepEd recognizes the importance of strengthening the capacity of its personnel in over 48,000 schools and education leaders in 18 regions and 218 division offices.

As Br. Armin Luistro, FSC says, “How do we ensure that the reforms are institutionalized? There's only one way and that is through leaders who are alive. And if there is only one legacy we would want to leave behind, it is a leadership program and leaders like you who will continue the reform.”

Administration of LAPG 3 and NAT 6

The conduct of the Language Assessment for Primary Grades (LAPG) and the National Achievement Test for Grade Six (NAT G6) this school year 2015 - 2016 is scheduled on March 8 and March 10 respectively, according to DepEd Memorandum No. 1, s. 2016.

However, this had been superseded by a latest memo issued by Usec Dina S. Ocampo for their postponement.

Ocampo relayed the clarification as to the reason why these testings would be conducted on the later dates.

In an educative gathering of teachers in Cebu City, she announced that LAPG 3 and NAT G6 is postponed due to failure in the bidding process.

There is a video coverage to this effect posted in the social media by one of the teachers concerned.

The Bureau of Educational Assessment (BEA) which is the former National Education Testing and Research Center (NETRC) shall the administer those testings.

ICT: CES Curriculum Enhancement

In the division of La Carlota City, the Cubay Elementary School Teachers have spent their time while their pupils are taking their semester break for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in-service training in their school.

This could be a part of their curriculum enhancement wherein they may have the skill on how to use ICT in teaching and learning for their pupils as what has been indicated in their National Competency-Based Teacher Standards-Training Needs Assessment (NCBTS-TSNA) prepared by their school head for the school plan for professional development (SPPD).

Thirteen teachers of CES inclusive of kindergarten, primary and intermediate teachers  took their precious time listening to the lecture and doing the hands-on activity as introduced by their trainor, Mr. Gilbor D. Camporazo, Junior a programmer instructor of Technological Foundation Institute (TFI) of Bago City.

K-12 Education Curriculum Rolls Out SY 2012-2013

The Department of Education (DepED) issued an order to effectively implement the rolling out of Grades 1 and 7 under the K to 12 Basic Curriculum (BEC) starting this school year 2012 - 2013.

Official Logo of Division of La Carlota City

Expected Outcomes

Under this K to 12 curriculum, at the end of Grade 10, the students are expected to:

• demonstrate communicative competence
• think intelligently, critically and creatively in life situations
• make informed and values-based decisions
• perform their civic duties
• use resources sustainably, and
• participate actively in artistic and cultural activities and in the promotion of wellness and lifelong fitness.