DepEd vows to strengthen collaboration with private schools
Department of Education Sec. Sonny Angara —Arnel Tacson/黑料社
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday vowed to strengthen its collaboration with private stakeholders through a three-year action plan under development.
According to DepEd in a statement, it partnered with the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) to develop a three-year action plan for Public-Private Complementarity to address persistent challenges and implement the administration’s 5-Point Reform Agenda.
DepEd said the initiative builds on a recent workshop focused on operationalizing the Public-Private Complementarity Framework, which aims to address perennial challenges in education, including overcrowding and teaching quality.
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“As you all know, DepEd faces long-standing challenges, but we continue to collaborate with our private partners to bring our projects to life and transform our education system,” Education Sec. Sonny Angara said.
Article continues after this advertisementPart of this effort is the recently hosted 27th National Convention and the annual Federation of Associations of Private Schools and Administrators (FAPSA) Haligi ng Karunungan Awards, which centered on the future of private education institutions and the integration of private-public school complementarity.
Article continues after this advertisementDuring the convention, Angara recognized the significant contributions of private schools to basic education and reaffirmed the department’s commitment to working alongside them to improve policies and programs.
Support probe vs ghost students
Meanwhile, PEAC and the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), for their part vowed to support DepEd in its investigation of ghost students within the Senior High School Voucher Program, allegedly involving 12 private schools across nine divisions.
READ: Teachers ask Congress to probe ‘ghost students’ in DepEd program
“The PEAC reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the proper implementation of subsidy programs. Together, we will continue working towards a transparent, fair, and effective voucher program that truly serves the needs of Filipino learners,” PEAC stated.
PEAC said the SHS Voucher Program has served approximately 6.1 million students since its launch, benefiting 1,287,144 learners enrolled in 4,421 private senior high schools nationwide for the school year 2024-2025 alone.
