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The National Security Council along with the Philippine Army seeks collaboration with national agencies in education to promote peace and national security in learners. In order to achieve this goal, the NSC along with the film director seeks to campaign the film documentary “Memoirs of a Teenage Rebel” which would serve as an eye-opener for the learners.

The film documentary was presented on February 3, 2021 via Zoom teleconference at 10:30 am. It serves as a powerful campaign spearheaded by the National Security Council and the Philippine Army with the objective to address the alarming situation of the increasing number of members in terror organizations in society, specifically the youth as its primary target of recruitment. Various audiences from different offices and agencies were invited such as the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, the Philippine Army, and the National Security Council.

Memoirs of a Teenage Rebel followed the character of Ivy as she reveals her dark past as a former rebel in the New People’s Army (NPA). From being a full-time NPA to her rise as one of NPA’s top leaders. The film documentary focused on Ivy’s heightened exposure to atrocious practices within the organization.

The documentary had provided an encompassing perspective and insights with regards to the inner workings of NPA and how the organization affects people from different walks of life. As such, the documentary also manifested entry points, in example, let not Ivy’s message to the youth ever be forgotten that a person’s love for the country must always start from within.

Mr. Enzo Williams, the director of the film “Memoir of the Teenage Rebel” explained that the documentary is more of a drama, following a story of a rebel going back to reality, sharing their nightmares during their experience with the New People’s Army. Director Williams also recommended the film documentary to be shown to students for free and create a reflection paper on the said film. He mentioned that it could be an eye-opener which can really be helpful to a lot of youth. Mr. Williams also introduced his partner, the owner of Cignal TV to collaborate in presenting the film documentary to far-flung areas on barangays.

Prior to the start of the film documentary, an academic discussion was spearheaded by the National Security Council along with the Philippine Army to collaborate with national education agencies such as DepEd and CHED on ways they could intervene to amend the basic and higher education curriculum and integrate promoting peace and national security measures through a meeting with Dr. Lea-Grace Salcedo on the film “Memoir of the Teenage Rebel”.

One of the highlights of the meeting is on ways on how the NSC and Philippine Army could support and connect to schools to teach the youth on promoting peace and national security. One recommendation is through Brigada Eskwela and Oplan Balik Eskwela as great opportunities for open forums or symposiums inviting the AFP and PNP to help schools by discussing peace, security and school-community dynamics. The discussion on the matter is still on-going and the NSC’s collaboration with DepEd will reconvene until further notice.

Scene from the documentary “Memoir of a Teenage Rebel”

The participation of the Literacy Coordinating Council Secretariat in this film viewing and meeting is very enlightening as it widens its horizon on youth education and enables the Council to innovate programs and projects which is not only literacy-focused, but at the same time promotes peace and solidarity among the youth and the society in general

Ending quotation from the documentary “Memoir of a Teenage Rebel”

In celebration of the 25th National Autism Consciousness Week, the NORFIL Foundation Philippines and Autism Society Philippines spearheaded the 2021 Conference on Autism with the theme “Pilipinong May Autismo: Kakaiba, Kasali, Konektado” dated January 22, 2021 via Zoom application and Facebook Live.

The whole discussion was divided into two (2) parts. The morning session included the opening program, plenaries on the situation of children with disabilities in the context of COVID-19, rights of persons with autism, and facts about autism. While the topics tackled during the afternoon session were autism awareness, early interventions, sensory issues and preparation for their employment, among others, through break-out sessions. Last topic facilitated was the rights and resources panel discussion.

During the open forum, it was reiterated that programs for individuals with autism are already in place and conversations were already made with USec. San Antonio and Asec. Torio. It was mentioned that DepEd modules should also be aligned to and brought to the farthest places to truly realize the department’s vision of “leaving no one behind.”

Participation of the LCC Secretariat to this forum allows the LCC to gain valuable insights from the field and different sectors, especially with those that have disabilities, which can be used in enhancing the Council’s programs and projects addressing literacy needs of all types of learners.

The third International Day of Education with the theme “Recover and Revitalize Education for the Covid-19 Generation”, was held on January 25, 2021 via Zoom, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. This International Education Day aims to: a) highlight commitments and follow-up actions taken to protect education through the recovery, increase inclusion and combat drop-out; b) celebrate initiatives being led by governments, educators, organizations from global to grassroots efforts, as well as partnerships demonstrating the potential to recommit education to the principles of equity and relevance; c) highlight best practices in laws and policies on equitable finance for education that effectively and efficiently target the most disadvantaged via a tool featured on UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report website, PEER; and d) give voice to the COVID-19 generation to express their concerns and aspirations in the face of a future marked by an economic recession and climate change.

Ms. Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education was the moderator of the said event. She formally introduced Ms. Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General, who welcomed all the participants on this momentous occasion. Ms. Azoulay ended her speech by inviting everyone to promote education as a fundamental right and the most powerful aid to development that we have. Defending the future of this right means defending the right to the future.

Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education

Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General

Other speakers who also commenced the meeting were Mr. António Guterres, UN Secretary General through a video message and Mr. H.E. Volkan Bozkir, President of 75th UN General Assembly.

António Guterres, UN Secretary General  (Left) and  H.E. Volkan Bozkir, President of 75th UN General Assembly (Right)

This global event was planned with three main segments:

Panel 1- Celebrating Learning Heroes, which sheds light on heroes who kept education going in hard circumstance: a conversation on what worked, what failed and what they would do differently with hindsight;

Panel 2 – Promising Innovations to Transform Education, which illuminates on innovations, whether in terms of pedagogy, technology, partnership or on other fronts that pave the way towards more resilient and inclusive education systems; and Panel 3 – Financing the Education Transformation, which shows the effects of the pandemic on government education budgets, household and donor are expected to put significant strains on education.

The much-awaited moment of this event was the announcement of the 60 finalists (10 per language) and 6 laureates of an essay writing competition “The Little Prince”, an initiative organized by the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies (CRI).

This event was organized in partnership with UNESCO New York Office, UN Headquarters, including the Global Partnership for Education and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, with the participation of partners from the Global Education Coalition and education stakeholders from over 70 countries.

The Literacy Coordinating Council is one with UNESCO and the world in celebrating the International Day of Education.

The Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) is a survey conducted every five years by the former National Statistics Office (NSO), now a part of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The survey presents comprehensive statistics on the latest status of literacy, education, and mass media exposure of Filipinos. It brings together a wide range of information that serves as a guide for government policy makers, program planners, and decision makers in providing a much broader scope of action and more focused program intervention on the target beneficiaries of development plans. It is also very useful in private businesses and industries, as well as in academic researches and development projects.  As of the fiscal year 2021, six (6) previous rounds were conducted mainly in 1989, 1994, 2003, 2008, 2013, and the most recent in 2019.

For three decades, the survey is conducted in line with the government’s thrust to promote education policies and programs aimed at eradicating illiteracy in the country. FLEMMS is designed to provide a quantitative framework that will serve as a basis in the formulation of policies and programs in the improvement of literacy and education status in the Philippines.

The highlights of FLEMMS 2019 results are its basic and functional literacy rates. Survey shows that 94 out of 100 Filipinos who are 5 years old and above are literate in 2019. In addition, 73 million Filipinos who are 10 years old and above are considered as functionally literate. An increase to 91.6% from 90.3% in 2013. National data results also found that NCR tops as the region with the highest basic and functional literacy rates, while BARMM comes down as the lowest in both criteria.

The latest conduct on FLEMMS was in 2019 which was prior to the start of the           pandemic in 2020. In line with the final results conducted, many researchers and           analysts are waiting for the final report on FLEMMS 2019 to determine the current           status of education and literacy in the Philippines and how the COVID-19 pandemic           affected the country in general. The result on FLEMMS 2019 will also serve as a           benchmark for the government and other stakeholders to create solutions in           mitigating the effects brought by the pandemic. Other details of the 2019 FLEMMS           results are contained in the video.          

Terence Joshua S. Canlas

Source:

https://psa.gov.ph/content/functional-literacy-education-and-mass-media-         survey-flemms

Following the success of the conduct of the 143rd Council Meeting held on October 22, 2020, the Philippine Normal University (PNU) through one of its lead researchers for LCC, Dr. Judy C. Bautista, has officially endorsed to the LCC Secretariat the Analytic Scoring Rubric/Monitoring and Evaluation Tool for Exemplary Community-Based Literacy Programs and Engagement in the Philippines. The said tool is based on the two research studies conducted by the Council through the PNU entitled “Foundational Framework for the Exemplary Community-Based Literacy Programs and Engagement: Basis for Policy Development (2019)” and “Validation of the Foundational Framework for Exemplary Community-Based Literacy Programs and Engagement (2020).”

The said M&E tool or analytic scoring rubric describes the standards and indicators for an exemplary community-based literacy program. Being evidence-based, the tool has the following components: 1) Manifests Quality Management and Leadership; 2) Has Legal Bases; 3) Utilizes Strategic Implementation; 4) Articulates an Aligned Vision, Mission, Goals, Objectives, and Agenda; 5) Forges Inter-agency and Inter-stakeholder Partnership and Collaboration; 6) Possesses Effective and Efficient Resource Management; 7) Administers Efficient and Regular Monitoring and Evaluation System; 8) Is Data-Driven and Is Designed based on Data-Analysis; 9) Uses Information Dissemination Strategies; and 10) Manifests Complete Documentation of Activities. Each standard contains relevant indicators and achievement progressions categorized as: 1) Beginning; 2) Emerging; 3) Accomplished; and 4) Exemplary, the latter being the highest benchmark of community performance.

The Department of Education shall issue an Order to encourage the operationalization of the framework and adoption of the tool among the Alternative Learning System teachers, Local Government Units, and Civil Society Organizations in the country implementing literacy programs at the grassroots level. By doing so, a breakthrough is expected to take place in literacy at the local communities bringing everyone closer to its universalization.

What Have We Learnt?

An Overview of Findings from Survey of Ministries of Education

on National Responses to COVID-19

As part of the coordinated global education response to COVID-19 pandemic, UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank have conducted a survey on National Education responses to COVID-19 School Closures. Results from the data collection are showcased, sharing lessons learnt from government responses to school closures from pre-primary to secondary education.

The webinar, which was also participated in by the LCC Secretariat was conducted on November 4, 2020 via different Zoom satellites, and was administered by UNESCO, UNICEF, and World Bank researchers situated in different countries such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, and Vienna. Various participants from all around the globe including doctors, PhD students, and many others were enthusiastic to join and formulate solutions on the results of the survey presented.

This webinar was initiated with a brief snapshot of survey on national responses to school closure. From there on, the structure of survey was established, along with the main topics that focused on: 1) Plans for re-opening schools; 2) The plan for the school calendar; 3) Distance education delivery systems; 4) Online distance learning strategies; 5) Role of teachers; 6) Role of students; 7) Role of Parents/Caregiver; 8) Learning, assessment and examinations; and 9) Financing.

The first segment addressed the mitigating learning as different school openings from all over the world led to lost opportunities in learning. Some countries lost as much as one-third of a school year and led to a discrepancy between the schools in the Northern and Southern hemisphere.

The second segment of the survey stressed the key findings in deploying effective remote learning strategies which gave emphasis on countries using different learning platforms from different socio-economic class and concluded that remote learning has changed the landscape on how learning was made and expedited opportunities in some environments to different income countries.

Policies to support teachers were also given emphasis as survey showed that majority of the teachers were required to teach from school premises regardless of the countries’ economic standing. Additional support to teachers varies across income groups, but most were provided with instructions to operate the distance learning platforms and need more support amidst the pandemic. Equipping them with ICT knowledge, as well as other things which would enable them to stay effective and efficient were top priorities.

Parental support and engagement were also considered as 9 out of 10 countries reported that teachers and parents were to keep in regular interaction through text messaging and other forms of communication as a liaison of social interaction.

The last segment underscored the safe reopening of schools, health protocols and budget financing. The progress towards school reopening survey showed that as of September 2020, 3 out of 4 countries had fully or partially reopened schools and still increasing by 5 percent. Approaches and measures in school reopening. as well as health protocols for the safe reopening of schools were also discussed. The rest of the data showed that nearly 100% of responding countries have produced or endorsed specific health and hygiene guidelines and measures for schools. The survey also presented the source of funding to support safety measures from government allocations.

Education financing for COVID-19 response showed that in almost all countries, (95%) additional funds have been provided to cover COVID-19 related costs. The last part of the segment portrayed the needs of every country depending on their economic standing.

Prior to the pandemic, UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank already conducted several joint researches on education. The global trends presented were clear and concise, yet additional demands of research are still needed to cater the needs of the growing trend as the challenge of the pandemic is still present and continuation of research surveys on monitoring the school openings and opportunities would help strengthen the approach of global perspective.

Terence Joshua S. Canlas

Source: https://events.unesco.org/event?id=919915775&lang=1033

On October 22, 2020, the LCC Chairperson Diosdado M. San Antonio, DepEd Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction presided over the virtual 143rd LCC Meeting via Google Meet. One of the highlights of the said meeting was the Council’s adoption of the Foundational Framework for Exemplary Community-Based Literacy Programs and Engagement, and the Monitoring and Evaluation Tool, outputs of the research study conducted by Dr. Judy Bautista of the Philippine Normal University, and his research team.

According to Dr. Bautista, “the LGUs may review current efforts by using the validated framework as guideline in developing community literacy programs…initiate community literacy programs based on the standards… and adopt the improved analytic rubric or the monitoring and evaluation tool in order to assess program management and to inform practice with a more solid base for the purpose of improvement and accountability.”

Through future DepEd policy issuance, the Council anticipates its significance to nation building, with emphasis on the establishment of exemplary and sustained literacy programs at the grassroots level through collaborative efforts amongst various literacy stakeholders.

Aside from this project, the Council has another ongoing research on the development of a literacy framework anchoring on the 21st Century Skills, Fourth Industrial Revolution, and current needs of the country.