By The Manila Times, September 27, 2021; The Manila Times
THE Department of Education (DepEd) recently sealed an agreement with the Civil Society Organization (CSO) education cluster in adopting an open participatory monitoring and evaluation platform to reaffirm its commitment under the Open Government Partnership for the 5th National Action Plan (NAP) 2019-2022.
“This partnership agreement defines our responsibilities and our commitments to the Open Government Partnership 5th National Action Plan. The delivery of education services is more meaningful and effective and relevant if there is shared responsibility among the various stakeholders,” DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones shared.
DBM Undersecretary Rolando stated “The MoA signing is a celebration of open governance in the education sector and a milestone in enhancing transparency and accountability in education service delivery.”
Apart from addressing the needs and gaps in delivering basic education inputs, the mechanism seeks to strengthen the capability of the Department in monitoring and accounting for investments, including assessing if the programs reached rightful recipient public schools, matched the actual needs on the ground, and served the intended learning outcomes, DepEd Secretary Briones added.
Considering the current health situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the global OGP has extended the implementation of agency commitments under the 5th NAP, allowing updates and recalibration of respective commitments and focus programs.
DepEd responded by adding another focus intervention to the participatory monitoring of the Last Mile Schools Program, the distribution of computer packages to learners and educators in the 44 targeted last mile school beneficiaries. E-NET Philippines President and CSO Commitment Holders for Education Representative Professor Flora Arellano emphasized that the partnership reflects the collective commitment to reach out to the marginalized, excluded, and vulnerable learners in the last mile schools.
