The Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Steven J Robinson AO, together with members of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Save the Children Philippines, visited the Schools Division Office of Leyte province on 26 April 2022 to observe the readiness of the schools supported by the Sustaining Education Reform Gains (SERG) Project in the reopening of classes for children’s continued learning.
Throughout the Philippines, Australia has been investing in improving quality of teaching in schools, as well as developing policies, systems, and processes for enhancing the professional development of teachers. Australia’s development cooperation program has been supporting DepEd’s education reform programs to ensure that learning continues even amid the global health crisis.
The Australian Ambassador visited the Atty. Roque A. Marcos Memorial School (ARAMMS) in La Paz, Leyte with town Mayor Angel A. Sia, Jr., Save the Children CEO Atty. Alberto Jesus T. Muyot, and with other Australian Embassy officials.
“When you talk to the teachers, you can see the passion. I was deeply impressed. You, the teachers, are turning in a wonderful product of the school, and I think that is also a credit to the parents,” said the Ambassador.
According to the Ambassador, “I am pleased to have seen at ARAMMS the benefits of our mateship and bayanihan for education. Australia has been a long-standing partner to the Philippines, and we remain committed to supporting DepEd’s education quality agenda through teacher professional development.”
Save the Children CEO Atty. Muyot noted the importance of the Australian Government’s support to the pilot schools.
“Addressing teachers’ learning and development is important to helping children access basic, inclusive, and quality education,” Muyot said.
Schools Division Superintendent Manuel P. Albaño expressed his appreciation for supporting Region 8 schools through the SERG Project. “We thank the Australian Government and Save the Children for choosing ARAMMS and five other schools of DepEd Leyte. We are ready to roll out our SERG learning so that all our teachers can adopt what the pilot schools have gained,” said Albano.
On the same date, Taysan Resettlement Integrated School (TRIS) in Legazpi City, Albay also received a high-level visitor from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ms Jenny Da Rin, Assistant Secretary of Southeast Asia Development Policy and Programs.
The delegates toured the school facilities and engaged in discussions to understand the experiences and learnings from the implementation of SERG’s assistance to the school through its learning and development system.
“I’m so impressed with the pride and passion you have in what you do, and a terrific community spirit here. Education remains a core priority of Australia’s development cooperation in the Philippines. We are also supporting COVID-19 response and recovery. Helping our neighbours keep the Indo-Pacific region safe is one of the priorities of the Australian Government’s response to COVID-19. Through SERG, we are extending that response to our education partners.” said Da Rin.