The Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development, through Human Resource Development Division (BHROD-HRDD) called for participants from the Central Office holding permanent positions to participate in the Batch 3 of 2021 Online Learning Program for Public Service Excellence: “Working Effectively in the New Normal.” The onboarding session was held on February 11, 2022 via Microsoft Teams. This initiative was made by BHROD headed by Atty. Anne Rachel C. Miguel, Director IV. The objective of the session is to orient the participants on the rationale, activity design and arrangements of the program.
Ms. Cecille A. Anyayahan, Project Development Officer V of BHROD-HRDD, graced the program and welcomed all participants from different bureaus and offices of DepEd. Ms. Anyayahan underscored that e-learning saves time and resources; leads to better retention; provides standardized learning; scalable; and offers personalization. She encouraged everyone to maximize the advantages of e-learning by levelling up their attitude and challenging themselves; disciplining themselves by being mindful of their time and preparation will also be useful. Participants who will complete the online learning course shall receive a certificate of completion.
This program is a self-directed offering, using online platform and content, aimed at helping LCCS and other DepEd personnel navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the new normal, preparing them to stay ahead of change, and become effective public servants during and in the post-pandemic period.
One of the Group Photos taken during the conduct of 2021 LCC Research Symposium dated December 2-3, 2021 via Microsoft Teams.
More than a month ago, the LCC Secretariat (LCCS) hosted the 2021 LCC Research Symposium via Microsoft Teams which was also simultaneously broadcasted in DepEd’s and LCC’s Facebook Pages. On December 2-3, 2021, the said event was well-attended by researchers who were recognized as finalists in response to LCC’s Call for Papers on Literacy dated August 7, 2020 through DepEd Memorandum (DM-CI-2020-00194) nationwide. One of the highlights of the virtual symposium was the Awarding of Certificates to the eighty-five (85) research papers and their respective researchers through an Audio-Visual Presentation. The said research papers and researchers were celebrated for their notable contributions to research and continuity of literacy in spite of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from the issuance of the certificates, a cash incentive amounting to Php30,000.00 (inclusive of tax) for each recognized research paper was also announced to be awarded to the lead researchers or officially designated recipients of the said prize. As of this writing, the cash prizes are still being processed and are anticipated to be completed within the first quarter of 2022. The said incentive was one of the Council’s initiatives to honor the researches on literacy at the grassroots level and to boost their pertinent activities and impact especially in the local communities.
LCC’s official banner for the 2021 LCC Research Symposium
The awarded research studies revolved around the themes of: 1) Alternative Learning Delivery Modalities (e.g. Distance Learning such as Modular, Online, TV/Radio-based Instruction; Blended Learning; and Homeschooling) in Times of Crisis; 2) Impact of Stakeholder Participation or Support to Effective Literacy Program Implementation through the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act; and 3) Community-Based Literacy Programs Implemented in Times of Crisis.
On Day 1, Dr. Diosdado M. San Antonio, DepEd Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction, and Secretary’s Permanent Representative to the Council, welcomed the participants through his message while Dr. Bert J. Tuga, President of the Philippine Normal University, the Lead Member Agency for Research, delivered his Opening Remarks. Afterwards, Ms. Aurea Jean A. Abad, Technical Working Group (TWG) Member, presented the first set of research presenters from Regions VII, CALABARZON and MIMAROPA, namely: Dr. Bobby M. Cabangon, Dr. Karheena E. Adriano and Ms. Veronica M. Faigao, respectively, during the Plenary I. Ms. Josephine L. Babaran from the Philippine Information Agency then introduced the next research speakers from Regions CALABARZON and XI. They were Ms. Maria Ghea C. Mohammad, Mr. Jucell J. Lauron and Dr. Reymund M. Ferry, respectively. Ms. Evelyn A. Castro from the Department of the Interior and Local Government served as the Master of Ceremonies for the said date.
Ms. Evelyn A. Castro serving as the Master of Ceremonies during the Day 1 of 2021 LCC Research SymposiumMr. Ronald P. Del Rosario hosting Day 2 of 2021 LCC Research SymposiumDr. Diosdado M. San Antonio, DepEd’s Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction, and DepEd Secretary’s Permanent Representative to the Council, welcoming the participants during the Day 1 of 2021 LCC Research SymposiumDr. Bert J. Tuga of the Philippine Normal University delivering his Opening Remarks to the participants
On the other hand, Mr. Ronald P. Del Rosario hosted the Day 2 of the said virtual symposium. After the preliminaries, Ms. May A. Cinco, TWG Member, shared the introduction for the last set of research presenters. On Plenary III, Dr. Ray Butch D. Mahinay, Dr. Bienvinido E. Infante and Ms. Shirley D. Velasco represented Regions X, XI and CALABARZON, respectively. Each plenary since Day 1 was always concluded with an Open Forum facilitated by the same presenter of resource persons.
On the latter part of the program for Day 2, Ms. Jem Beryline S. Bualat, LCCS’ focal person for Policy Research and Development, shared the next steps for the virtual research symposium. The program then highlighted the Awarding of Certificates for the following: 1) Research Presenters for Day 1 and 2, 2) Program Committee Members, and the 3) 85 Research Papers and their Researchers recognized as symposium finalists and recipients of LCC’s cash incentive mentioned above. Lastly, the summary of policy recommendations culled from the plenaries was presented by Mr. Nemesio O. Malatamban III from the House of Representatives while the Closing Remarks was delivered by Mr. Enrico R. Mendoza, Head of LCCS.
The eighty-five (85) research papers and their respective researchers being recognized as the symposium finalistsGroup Photo taken by the Research Presenters of Day 1 and 2 (except Dr. Karheena E. Adriano)
The LCCS would like to thank once again all researchers from DepEd, Local Government Unit, Nongovernment Organizations and other interested parties for joining LCC’s first virtual research symposium. We also highly appreciate the immense support extended by the DepEd’s technical team, the Public Affairs Service, and the Information and Communications Technology Service, and the Council Members.
Cash incentives intended to be received by the researchers in recognition of their efforts are currently being processed and will be released on or before March 2022.
Stay tuned for the next conduct of research symposium to be announced through official communication and via LCC Facebook Page at this link.
To view and download the research presentations, along with the list of presented topics and their respective presenters for each plenary, kindly click “Presentations” from this link.
To get a copy of the Summary of Policy Recommendations, please check here.
To watch the AVP featuring the 85 Awarded Research Papers and the recorded 2-day virtual research symposium, click “Documentation” here.
Other Photo Opportunities taken by the participants during the virtual 2-day LCC Research Symposium:
Jumping off from the challenging year that was brought to us by the pandemic, the Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC) has commenced the year with much hope and optimism to emerge from the lessons learned from the previous year and establish a renewed focus in delivering programs, projects, and activities with excellence.
With the goal to sustain literacy advocacy and intensify social mobilization efforts and existing partnerships, the LCC has kicked off the year through the conduct of a workshop on the development of the LCC Communication Plan, which was later finalized and adopted by the Council through an LCC Resolution. Shortly after that, the LCC ran a workshop on the finalization of the LCC Coffee Table Book Volume 2 that highlights the best practices and success stories of the implementation of literacy programs initiated by various LGUs and NGOs. By April 2021, the LCC had begun its months-long preparation for the 2021 National Literacy Conference which was successfully conducted on September 6 to 7, in conjunction with the annual celebration of the National Literacy Week. Additionally, to boost the literacy advocacy, the annual 2021 LCC-NGO Forum was held last November 16-17, 2021 where Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders from different sectors convened to share their best and innovative practices during the new normal, and at the same time, provide policy recommendations instrumental in eradicating illiteracy in the country.
With the aim to increase public awareness of LCC’s programs and projects, the Council has also conducted multiple workshops to widen the reach of available platforms and materials that serve as the council’s channel of knowledge and information for its stakeholders. This has been acted upon through the development of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials that paved the way to the production of audio-visual presentations (AVPs) bringing light to the major programs and projects of the LCC. Furthermore, this was followed with the workshops on the crafting and lay-outing of the 2021 LCC Annual Report, enrichment of the LCC website, series of database updating and system enhancement, and development and finalization of the 11-module National Literacy Information System (NLIS) User’s Manual.
With policy research and development as one of its cores, the LCC has also been successful in its mission to provide policy and program directions for all literacy endeavors in the country through the adoption of the LCC Resolution No. 01 – Guidelines on the Foundational Framework and Analytic Scoring Rubric for Exemplary Community-based Literacy Programs and Engagement which was backed by the conduct of series of Orientation Workshops for the Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao clusters, as well as the development of a Research Manual for the Foundational Framework for Exemplary Community-based Literacy Programs and Engagement, to ensure effective implementation of the policy. In addition, the LCC has also carried out the 2021 Research Symposium where researchers all over the country congregated and were recognized for their hard work and grit in doing the groundwork for literacy in the form of research.
Apart from strengthening the literacy advocacy in keeping research and policy development at arms’ length, the LCC has also lived up to its mandate to promote literacy at the grassroots level particularly in the Local Government Units (LGUs) through the creation of local literacy councils. This commitment has been performed through the conduct of a series of workshops specifically on the development, lay-outing, and finalization of the Manual on Localization of LCC, as well as on the development of a monitoring and evaluation tool for the LCC Localization.
On top of all these accomplishments, the LCC has remained dedicated in the pursuit of continuous improvement not only of the delivery of its programs, projects, and activities but also of its workforce management. Aside from the established practice to assess the performance of the Council every midyear and year-end, LCC held a series of activities for its Secretariat on Results-based Performance Management System (RPMS), which focused on performance review, rating, commitment, and planning. The LCC Secretariat has also been capacitated with the right mindset, attitude, and approach to suitably adapt to and cope with the new normal with the help of a series of pep talk sessions and staff development workshops for the whole year. Over and above that, the LCC has also stepped back to strategically and systematically plan how to eradicate illiteracy in the country through the series of workshops on the recalibration, validation, and finalization of the LCC Roadmap and 2022 LCC Strategic Plan, as well as the conduct of LCC’s quarterly council meetings.
In total, the LCC has conducted 42 virtual activities and 3 major events. Having all these programs, projects, and activities successfully carried out, the LCCS has also strengthened its culture of feedback through the analysis of results gathered from evaluation forms issued in all its events and activities. On average, the LCC ecstatically shares its rating of 3.92 out of 4 which signifies its very satisfactory performance in running its activities and events. To celebrate these milestones and recognize excellent performance, the FY 2021 LCC Secretariat Awards was conducted with the theme “Recognizing Excellence, Celebrating Wins.” This initiative is part of the Council’s Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE).
With the year 2021 coming to a close, the LCC acknowledges the upheaval of the last two years but at the same time, looks forward to the following year with much more confidence and optimism that little by little, eradication of illiteracy in the country will not only be a dream but a goal achieved.
LCC in Partnership with Education Network (E-Net) Philippines Celebrates Literacy Champions’ Innovations and Contributions through the Conduct of the 2021 LCC-NGO Forum
22 November 2021 – The Department of Education, through the Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC) Conducts the 2021 LCC-NGO Forum in Celebration of the Innovations and Contributions of Literacy Champions from NGOs and LGUs and Gather Policy Recommendations from Various Stakeholders
Anchored in its vision to universalize literacy in the country by forging partnerships and linkages among literacy champions, the LCCS, in cooperation with Education Network (E-Net) Philippines, has conducted its first virtual 2021 LCC-NGO Forum with the theme, CSO-LGU Partnerships: Sustaining Literacy Advocacy in the New Normal and Beyond last November 16-17, 2021. In this year’s conduct of the forum, the LCC aimed to broaden CSO-LGU Partnerships to sustain literacy advocacy in the new normal beyond, provide a platform to share best practices and innovations in literacy advocacy, and develop evidence-based policy recommendations gathered from various literacy stakeholders.
Having the unprecedented disruptions and massive changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the LCC acknowledges the hard work and contributions of different stakeholders from various sectors that managed to proactively work on sustaining the literacy advocacy in the country. Among these stakeholders came from Civil Society organizations (CSOs), People’s Organizations (POs), Nongovernment Organizations (NGOs), and the Local Government Units (LGUs).
The 2-day event focused on three significant and relevant topics namely, (1) Good Practices and Innovations in Literacy Within the Framework of Lifelong Learning, (2) Literacy Advocacy: Adapting to the New Normal and Moving Forward and Beyond the Pandemic, and (3) Strengthening CSO-LGU Partnerships for Literacy. The forum was graced with the presence of esteemed guest speakers who brought great impact and contribution to the advocacy of literacy during the normal beyond. Viewers and participants were also given the opportunity to raise concerns, questions, and clarifications to the speakers during the Open Forum.
On top of that, the goal to gather policy recommendations was achieved by giving the participants the opportunity to submit their policy recommendations which were responded to by the Forum’s honorable guest, Hon. Roman T. Romulo, Representative of the Lone District of Pasig City. Moreover, Cong. Romulo has also expressed his support and appreciation to the efforts made by LCC and E-Net Philippines. It was affirmed that universalization of literacy in the country is a shared vision and remains to be an utmost priority as he shared some of the initiatives and policies currently being pushed for in Congress relative to literacy.
The forum concluded with 250 attendees on Zoom and a combined of 15,000 viewers in the live coverage of the event streamed through the Literacy Coordinating Council, E-Net Philippines, and DepEd Philippines Facebook pages. The LCCS is more than grateful for the participation and support of literacy advocates in the universalization of literacy in the country. The recorded live stream is available for viewing on the mentioned Facebook pages and all presentation materials used during the forum are uploaded on the LCC website at https://lcc.deped.gov.ph/ under the LCC_NGO Forum webpage.
The LCC treats the success of the event with the highest regard and is looking forward to the active participation of its fellow literacy advocates in the next year’s LCC-NGO Forum. As highlighted by DepEd Undersecretary Diosdado M. San Antonio, literacy advocacy is a responsibility shared not only of the Department of Education but of CSOs, LGUs, and the citizens. Now, more than ever, our Bayanihan spirit has paved the way for us to work together in creating highly literate Filipinos.
For more information, contact LCC through email at lcc@deped.gov.ph.
The Literacy Coordinating Council is resolute in its mandate and commitment to achieving a universalized literacy in the Philippines. As part of the resolution’s mandatory provision, it is encouraged that the Literacy Coordinating Council through its Council Member Representatives, literacy stakeholders, as well as the concerned public to advocate and promote the utilization of the NLIS database and contribute as well to the provision of pertinent literacy data and information needed for its enhancement.
Through this digital literacy initiative, partnerships, and linkages between and among different literacy stakeholders can also be strengthened, which will result in improved literacy program interventions not only at the national but also down to the grassroots level.
For easy reference, digital copies of the LCC Resolution No. 2, s. 2021 & Infographics of the NLIS may be accessed and downloaded via.
The National Literacy Information System interface lodged at the LCC Website
The Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC) during its 147th Council meeting held on September 20, 2021, via Microsoft Teams officially launched the NLIS through the issuance of LCC Resolution No. 02, s. 2021, entitled “ADOPTION OF THE NATIONAL LITERACY INFORMATION SYSTEM DATABASE, INCLUDING ITS UTILIZATION, PUBLICATION, AND MAINTENANCE IN THE OFFICIAL LITERACY COORDINATING COUNCIL WEBSITE.” Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary and LCC chairperson Diosdado M. San Antonio presided over the approval of the resolution as part of the agenda of the LCC Meeting.
The said Resolution provides for the adoption of the National Literacy Information System (NLIS) database as the official and primary database management system administered by the Literacy Coordinating Council to support its literacy endeavors, as well as synchronize and strengthen policies and efforts toward the universalization of literacy in the country. This issuance also serves as a formal document and basis for the System’s promotion and dissemination to local government units (LGU), non-government organizations (NGO), as well as other concerned literacy stakeholders and partners.
One of LCC’s strategies in advocating a universalized literacy in the country is the utilization of digital platforms, through a continuous process of development and enhancement of a national inter-agency database that will not only address the gaps of service delivery, especially the literacy efforts and implementation of literacy programs and projects at the grassroots level but also disseminate a nationwide campaign for digital literacy, which will also complement efforts to provide opportunities for lifelong learning and 21st-century skills development among all Filipinos.
Formulating measures on the monitoring and evaluation of the literacy situation in the country, including the establishment and maintenance of a national data bank and information exchange and dissemination system to support literacy efforts at the national and local levels is one of the functions of the Council as provided for under RA 7165, as amended by RA 10122 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
This is being accomplished through the development and maintenance of LCC’s National Literacy Information System. Pertinent data on literacy are gathered and organized through different NLIS modules, namely: Literacy Laws and Policies, Research on Literacy, Literacy Survey, Basic Education, National Literacy Conference, National Literacy Awards, Community-Based Literacy Programs, Literacy Partners, Best Practices in Literacy, Resources, and LCC Secretariat. This database serves as a digital resource platform especially developed to provide data and information which may be used by concerned national government agencies, LGUs, NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders in policy formulation and literacy program development and management.
The NLIS is a result of the collective efforts, commitment, and contribution of the Council representatives, TWG members, and the LCC Secretariat in the development of the database management system through various phases of conceptualization, system development, data population and update, system enhancement, user testing, and system validation. Ongoing initiatives are being done for the System’s maintenance continuous improvement.
The Literacy Coordinating Council is resolute in its mandate and commitment to achieving a universalized literacy in the Philippines. As part of the resolution’s mandatory provision, it is encouraged that the Literacy Coordinating Council through its Council Member Representatives, literacy stakeholders, as well as the concerned public to advocate and promote the utilization of the NLIS database and contribute as well to the provision of pertinent literacy data and information needed for its enhancement.
Through this digital literacy initiative, partnerships and linkages between and among different literacy stakeholders can also be strengthened, which will result in improved literacy program interventions not only at the national but also down to the grassroots level.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) concluded its series of webinars through a discussion on teaching, learning, and assessing 21st century skills in Thailand, which was held on October 8, 2021 via Zoom teleconference and broadcasted live via OECD Education and Skills Facebook page.
OECD Senior Analyst Stephan Vincent Lancrin discussed the main objective of their program, which is to bring projects and programs into scale, and eventually manage to change curriculum and practices at the system level, citing Thailand as an example.
Thailand Minister of Education Treenuch Thienthong delivered her welcome message, expressing her appreciation to OECD for inviting them to speak in their webinar. She highlighted the importance of not only learning from global perspective but also local experiences. Minister Thienthong mentioned a very challenging journey of Thailand due to COVID-19 with only limited natural resources.
Advisor on Competency-based Curriculum Dr. Sirikorn Maneerin discussed the timeline of how Thailand transformed into competency-based education in 2019. She mentioned Thailand’s efforts on National Education Reform plan. Dr. Maneerin recalled the strong demand of education reform in Thailand seven years ago, wherein important sets of education reform committee have been set up in the country. She also shared the six core competencies being implemented in Thailand curriculum—self-management, higher order thinking, communication, teamwork collaboration, civic literacy, and sustainable coexistence with nature and science.
Thailand Research Fund founding director Professor Vicharn Panich emphasized the significance of systemic research as it plays a vital role in the success of education. He also mentioned the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) in Thailand and its very strong information system, which works in many ways. Prof. Panich also added the important pilot projects on education system reforms supported by Thailand’s EEF.
Equitable Education Fund Deputy Managing Director Dr. Kraiyos Patrawart highlighted the importance of having strong evidence, knowledge-based reforms, as well as participation on international networking such as OECD. He also shared Thailand’s new approach to education system reform with multi-levels reform mechanisms. Dr. Patrawart shared Thailand’s national and area-based approach on education reforms, including partnerships with various Civil Society Organizations.
OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher discussed competence-based examples and how they differ per country. He also mentioned the challenges that may be encountered in piloting education reforms in various OECD countries.
The LCC Secretariat wishes to express its gratitude to OECD for engaging us on its series of webinars on education issues, systems, and reforms across the world. It inspired us more to explore and draw lessons from other countries and how they have moved from idea to implementation in fostering and assessing creativity and critical thinking, which may be applied in the education system in the Philippines.
The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, Regional Centre for STEM Education, with support from Chevron Corporation in partnerships with SEAMEO RECSAM, CPRN, KSP, and TEDC, continued spearheading the Lecture Series on Introduction to Program Effectiveness Research which aims to provide a broad overview of how to conduct rigorous program effective research in education. The third topic of the said series was entitled “Lecture 3: Estimating and Interpreting Treatment Effects” held on October 8, 2021 via Zoom. Hosted by Ms. Yaoowalak Jittakoat, the webinar commenced at 6:00 (GMT +7 Bangkok Time) and was concluded with an estimated total number of 300 participants globally.
Dr. Brian Rowan, Emeritus Professor of Education, Emeritus Research Professor at Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, served as the main speaker for the said event. On the third installment of the lecture series, he focused on how to estimate and interpret various types of program effects in order to examine the confirmation status of a given program logic model. The focal point of his discussion was the conceptual understanding of the overall topic rather than a statistical analysis.
During Dr. Rowan’s talk, he defined the different kinds of treatment effects discussed in the causal inference literature, specifically the: (a) the intent to treat (ITT) effect; (b) the effect of actually receiving treatment (TOT); (c) conditional average treatment effects (CATE); and (d) the average causal mediation effect (ACME). He emphasized that these different treatment effects can be used to examine the confirmation status of a program logic model. Moreover, he provided demonstrations of these treatment effects for deeper understanding of the participants.
Dr. Rowan recalled the program effectiveness research as “examining of the confirmation status of a program logic model, where the logic model consists of a set of hypotheses about how a service delivery model (the processes then affect a set of final program outcomes.” He also added that program logic model for an intervention, through professional learning communities (PLCs), is used to improve student learning. This model has three components, namely: 1) a service delivery model defining the “treatment” to be given to enrolled units; 2) an implementation model that describes the expected response as a result of the treatment; and 3) a set of final outcomes the program targets to achieve at the end of the intervention.
During the open forum, Dr. Rowan instilled to the attendees that “When you (attendees) conduct a research, you work extensively for the missing data. You can never force someone to comply with research protocols. There are many ways of performing statistical estimation among variables in light of missing data.”
He also affirmed that “Interventions can be unique… It is the uniqueness of the set of services you deliver compared to the ones being delivered in the normal world.” In line with Assumption vs. Sample of Population in research works, he stated that the former is usually a sample of population and there is a larger population that would have been (but they were not included.) If one has a population of everyone, the parameter is generated and not just an estimate.” He ended his talk by reminding everyone to keep on collecting (relative data) even in time of non-compliance of the group in order to accomplish the set outcomes of the chosen intervention.
The last topic for the lecture series will focus on “How to Report on Program Impacts” anticipated to happen on October 22. Meanwhile, the first two topics were entitled “Some Logical Underpinnings of Program Effectiveness Research” and “Research Designs to Create Counterfeits” conducted on August 27 and September 9, 2021, respectively.
The LCC Secretariat expresses its appreciation to the organizers for their invitation and facilitation of a comprehensive and rich lecture series on program effectiveness research. Convergence such as this brings together different literacy stakeholders and research enthusiasts which indicates call for an action. Through this, the importance of data-driven interventions and boosting of research activities in the local communities are instilled to everyone yielding to a better nation building through the power of literacy.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) organized another virtual discussion on the data-driven decisions in education and its lessons from Kazakhstan on October 7, 2021 via Zoom teleconference and broadcasted live via OECD Education and Skills Facebook page.
OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher explained the key role of Information Analytic Centre (IAC) in developing the education system through rigorous data collection, analysis, and implementation. He added that important data shared by the IAC has seen an evidence-based approach to policy making.
Kazakhstan Minister of Education and Science Askhat Aimagambetov shared their country’s participation in international large-scale assessments like Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). He also emphasized the importance of making an evidence-based decision in Kazakhstan, thus, the prioritization of education. He highlighted that OECD countries’ reviews and international assessments have played a major role in developing evidence-based policies in Kazakhstan, as it confirmed some assumptions, eliminated bias, and hidden problems. He mentioned introducing targeted policies and amending some legal documents. Minister Aimagambetov also shared their initiatives in education and its results. He also raised his concerns about using research studies for policy making as international studies can be perceived as some kind of competition in our society.
Kazakhstan Information Analytic Centre President Maina Tynybayeva explained the importance of having reliable data when it comes to decision making. She also shared the significance of having a national education database which can aggregate data on educational organizations and analyze the system in general. IAC President Tynybayeva hopes that the experience shared by speakers today will be useful to everyone across the world.
Nazarbayev University Dean of the Graduate School of Education Aida Sagintayeva mentioned the usefulness of data and reports from the Information Analytic Centre for their faculty and graduate courses. She also shared that they utilize these sources for education reforms and globalization of education. Professor Sagintayeva also mentioned their regular meetings with IAC experts to discuss all ongoing and new projects initiated by the center. She underscored the effectiveness of these reports in enhancing the quality of education across Kazakhstan.
The LCC Secretariat expresses its appreciation to OECD for continuously engaging us in this kind of discourse on education systems across the world. It helped us value the significance of taking an evidence-first approach when it comes to policy making, challenges we faced especially during the pandemic and our plans for the future.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) organized another webinar discussion on whether socio-economically advantaged students were better equipped to deal with learning during COVID. It was held on October 4, 2021 via Zoom teleconference and broadcasted live via OECD Education and Skills Facebook page.
OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher discussed how the pandemic took a massive toll on education, explaining the rate of lost instruction days and the quality of learning outcomes around the world. Schleicher also showed the distance learning solutions schools have offered during 2020-2021, citing online meeting platforms as the main medium of learning.
Schleicher highlighted the countries’ efforts in ensuring the effectiveness of distance learning wherein providing subsidized devices, as well as providing flexible and self-paced platforms became their top priority. Some countries have also improved access to infrastructure for learners and remote areas, as well as supporting learners with disabilities. Other countries have encouraged interactions between teachers and their students and/or parents during school closures in 2020.
He also discussed students’ self-efficacy, learning goals and motivation, wherein more than 80% of students showed self-efficiency in attaining their learning goals. Schleicher shared a survey on students’ readiness to learn and reading performance.
OECD Paris Senior Analyst Miyako Ikeda explained the importance of trying and finding a way to overcome challenges instead of fearing failure which is applicable not just for children but for all ages.
During the open forum, Schleicher was asked about motivational methods in learning during the pandemic, where he emphasized that technology can make learning more engaging for students. He also explained some factors why technology is helpful in making learning more interactive.
Schleicher highlighted that technology will become better than humans at delivering quality education as we live now in the modern period and people are slowly adapting to new technologies.
The LCC Secretariat expresses its appreciation to the OECD organizers for engaging us in another thorough discussion tackling the issue of education. It helped us become more socially aware on how to prepare students despite the hardships of learning during the COVID-19 crisis.
