Rep. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) with members of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) conducted a series of site visits and consultations with public and private schools in Negros Occidental on Saturday, August 26.
The initiative aims to address concerns and gather suggestions from education stakeholders to improve the country’s education policies, he said.
The visits included demonstrations at E.B. Magalona Elementary School, where students showcased improved literacy and reading comprehension through the help of the USAID ABC+ Language Identification and Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment Tools.
Discussed were solutions to remediate learners who cannot read at grade level during the school year, a press release from the office of Benitez said.
Simultaneous focus group discussions (FGDs) and Early Numeracy Initiative (ENI) demonstrations were held at South Silay Elementary School to gather insights from teachers and observe how students are learning mathematics. These discussions are crucial so that “we can create solutions that not only look good on paper but will also work in real life,” Rep. Roman Romulo said.
Consultations with various public schools were also conducted.
Among the topics discussed were improving performance and quality assurance, subsidies and vouchers, the issues of spiraling pedagogy, and a Bill filed to make it non-mandatory. Additionally, alignment of TechVoc and industry, and microcredentialing for students to complement the Philippine Qualifications Framework were also discussed, the press release said..
Benitez underscored his strong commitment to productive dialog during the afternoon session with private schools. “Any discussions brought up today will certainly contribute to our deliberations in Congress,” Benitez stated.
“We are willing to listen and see what kind of reforms are best,” indicating a proactive approach to enhancing educational systems, he said.
With a broader perspective, he added, “We all are stakeholders, and what we do shapes the future of each and every one of us in a very real and material sense”, he added.
Joining the visit were Rep. Roman Romulo, Chief of Staff Katryn C. Cardiente, Adnan Ahmad Tristan Piosang from the office of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, Dr. Karol Mark Yee – EdCom Executive Director, Rhodora Angela Ferrer – Advisory Council Member, Monica Ang Tan, from USAID, Yvette Malcioln – Deputy Director USAID Philippines, Elvin Ivan Uy – Standing Committee member, Doris Ferrer – Advisory Council member, Ma. Guia Del Valle Ramoso – Technical Specialist for Basic Education, Malcolm Garma and Ina Aquino from ABC+, Dr. Victor De Gracia, Jr. – Department of Education 6 assistant regional Director, Dr. Salvador O. Ochavo Jr., Dr. Portia Mallorca, Dr. Ferdinand Sy, Gladys Amylaine Sales and Salvacion Senayo.
Participating private schools were the University of St. La Salle, La Consolacion College Bacolod, Bacolod Tay Tung High School, Pax Catholic Academy Diocese of Bacolod, Our Lady of the Pillar Academy, Magdeleine Academy – Hinigaran Inc., University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos, St. Scholastica’s Academy – Bacolod, Collegio de San Agustin, St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic School and Carmel College Escalante.*