QUEZON CITY, 09 June (PIA)–The Quezon City Government took on the challenge of preparing the country’s biggest public school system for the K-to-12 program by engaging the participation of several stakeholders.
To achieve this, Mayor Herbert Bautista created in 2013, a multi-stakeholder Technical Working Group (TWG) that studied the needs and recommended multiple solutions to hindrances that occurred during the study.
The TWG study include infrastructure readiness and classroom requirements, teacher capacities and training needs, parent orientation, livelihood training and employment opportunities for those who would choose the tech-voc track.
Among the strategies undertaken during the study was school mapping to determine public and private school locations, classrooms available and build-able space and aimed at facilitating the distribution of the senior high school students in different schools.
Thus, when it was determined that only 62% of senior high school learners could be accommodated in DepEd schools in the city, the TWG showed the available schools where the 38% could be accommodated through partnership agreements.
The TWG study also showed parcels of land that can be purchased or negotiated for construction of additional school buildings.
Bautista said the Bayan Academy and Miriam College were engaged to provide teacher training with curriculum based on profiles, capacities and career paths of the teachers as determined by Sound Marketing and Technical Services (SMART).
The trainings include Sustainable Education Enhancement and Development Program (QC SEED) and strategic planning and social marketing.
For this year, the teachers underwent 20 days of retooling in English, Math and Science.
The QC-LGU-managed Korphil trained the teachers in animation and computer programming to enable them to acquire National Certification.
The Asia Foundation assisted the city government in the drafting of implementing rules and regulations for the City ordinance granting incentives to organizations that will donate to schools and promote academic-industry linkages. They also conceptualized an SHS locator and mobile information application.
All these were guided by a framework of ordinances supporting the implementation of the K-12 program in several aspects.
Quezon City currently has an enrollment population of 444,000 in its 142 public schools and 148,982 enrolled in 432 private schools. For high school alone, the combined enrollment is 204,008, with 50,140 of them slated as first enrollees of Grade 11 in SY 2015 – 2016.
The TWG is composed of the City Government, Division of City Schools, national agencies, private sector associations and civic organizations. (QC PAISO/ RJB/SDL/PIA-NCR)