Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara has fortified the Marcos administration’s commitment to supporting last-mile schools in the country.

This after Angara led a series of school visits in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directives to improve the quality of education while ensuring the welfare of learners and teachers.

“Priority ni President Marcos ang pagtulong sa mga last mile schools na nasa bundok o isla (It is President Marcos’ priority to help the last mile schools in mountains or islands). Our school visits in the Cordillera give us hope, showing that the right interventions can translate to positive outcomes. Even in the furthest points of our archipelago,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

On Feb. 25, he visited an indigenous people (IP) school, the Kiwa Integrated School in Tuba, Benguet; and the Baguio City National Science High School.

Angara also led the inauguration of a new facility at the Benguet Special Education Center–Inclusive Learning Resource Center (BSPED-ILRC) in Andolor Elementary School.

“A Bagong Pilipinas cannot be built from the top down. It is shaped in places like Andolor, where dreams persist despite distance, where commitment is measured not in pesos but in perseverance,” Angara said.

“We will keep looking at the numbers, but we will never forget the learners, teachers, and parents behind them.”

Angara also visited last mile schools –the Jose Gonzales Elementary School in Sablan, Benguet; and Tublay School of Home Industries in Tublay, Benguet; and led the inauguration of Benguet Inclusive Learning Resource Center in La Trinidad, Benguet on Feb. 24.

Besides school visits, he also led the seventh DepEd Management Committee (MANCOM) meeting in Baguio for the preparations for the upcoming National and Local Elections (NLE), budget planning, and other curriculum improvements. (PNA)