By: Jowani D. Flores
Victoria Sub-office, SDO Laguna
San Benito Elem School
If you are an educator and you’re reading this, I am sure that there’s one thing we can likely agree on – that is stakeholders are people who are always there to support all our endeavors – compassion is the heart of the education system.
As per DepEd Order no. 26, series of 2022, the Department of Education (DepEd) believes that the shared responsibility of school heads, teachers, parents, learners, Local Government Units (LGUs), and the community at large is a core enabler in providing accessible and quality basic education in a safe, healthy, and nurturing learning environment.
To be highly indebted to our partners and leaders is something that we could be thankful for in these trying times. The pandemic which had brought us a lot of difficulties specifically in our education system – would not be possible to overcome without our stakeholders’ participation. They are the ones who ensured to work hand-in-hand with our teachers to ensure the health and safety of our learners, teachers, and parents in these difficult times. Their enormous support made way for the development of the Basic Education-Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP), a comprehensive, evidence-based guideline for the Department and stakeholders in response to the public health situation.
Partnerships offer schools the opportunities to support the needs of our learners — may it be academic, social, and emotional health experience in the school setting as well as at other local agencies and community-based sites – our stakeholders indeed have a huge effect on our education system.
Through cash or in-kind donations ( bond papers, inks, school supplies, etc) or any that the school needs to ensure the safety of our learners – like closed circuit televisions (CCTV) installations, and DRRM supplies – our partnerships with these people or organizations extends to the bounds of the normal way of helping. This empowers the community to support the needs of children and families with an intentional, enhanced, and supported system.
“DepEd is one with the rest of the government and private organizations in this mission to curb the exploitation of children. With this whole-of-society approach, and with the help of parents and guardians, as well as the learners themselves, we are stronger together in putting an end to these abuses,” DepEd stated.
It could be noted that during the pandemic, assistance from local government units and external partners helped us in our efforts to implement the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP). This included printing and distribution of self-learning modules, teachers’ training and parents’ orientation, TV and radio modality, and health and safety protocols.
This kind of partnership builds and strengthens the drive of DepEd towards alignment of vision and mission at all levels, focusing on resource gaps and ensuring effective and efficient service delivery responsive to the needs of all learners.
Partnerships and collaboration have produced astonishing results not only for us educators, but also for all of our learners. Forming an alliance of partners who support our delivery of quality education is a thing we must work on. Love, care, and wisdom along with other resources, can create ideal conditions for our school where our kids would thrive and grow to become good citizens of our nation in the future.
