The Department of Education (DepEd), through the Assistant Secretary for Operations – Private Education Office, launched on Tuesday the Public and Private Education Complementarity Framework which shall serve as the foundation to guide and support DepEd towards addressing the gaps in the public and private sectors of education.

This was done during the 2023 Private Education National Conference at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte, in her message read by DepEd Assistant Secretary Revsee Escobedo, cited the launch as “another step forward” in transforming basic education in the Philippines.

“By working together, we can decongest public schools and expand access to quality education for students from low income families,” Duterte said.

“Clearly, our public schools cannot address the education crisis alone. Private schools have a pivotal role in addressing the challenges we face today. Our private schools’ expertise, innovation, and commitment to provide quality education for our students have helped shape Filipino society,” she added.

DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Cesar Bringas told reporters that the framework is a demonstration of the agency’s mandate under the Constitution to recognize the complementary roles of public and private schools.

“Kailangan nating i-define yang roles na yan (We need to define these roles) and how do they complement each other. So, the framework itself is a description of how the public and private education institutions will work together towards a common national education goal,” Bringas said.

When operationalized, Bringas said the framework will give “greater access” for learners to study in private schools with corresponding subsidies from the government.

With this access, Bringas believes that the framework will help improve the performance of basic education learners.

Collaboration for quality education

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who attended the launch, said the framework aims to boost the collaboration between public and private schools to provide quality education for Filipino learners.

“Pagdating sa edukasyon, hindi natin tinitingnan kung nanggaling to sa pampubliko o sa pribado. Ang tinitingnan natin ay yung bata na susunod na magiging mamamayan, lider, at work force ng ating bansa kaya mahalaga na nasisigurado natin yung edukasyon na ibinibigay natin sa bata, saan man galing yan, ay dekalidad (When it comes to education, it should not matter whether they came from public or private. What we see in children are the next citizens, leaders, and workforce of the country that’s why it is important that we ensure that the education we provide them, wherever it comes from, has quality),” Gatchalian said in an ambush interview.

The chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education also cited the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment which showed that basic education learners from private schools are getting better quality of education.

“Ang ibig sabihin nun, meron tayong pwedeng matutunan na magaganda sa mga private schools natin na pwede nating dalhin sa (It means that we can learn more good practices from our private schools which we can apply to our) public schools,” Gatchalian said.

The DepEd is set to issue a department order and prepare a roadmap for the operationalization of the framework in the first semester of 2024.

The framework was created after a series of consultations with 88 private education stakeholders all over the country under the guidance of Asian Development Bank. (PNA)