Wazzup Pilipinas!?
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 26 February 2026 — The Department of Education (DepEd), through its Education Center for AI Research (ECAIR), presented its national framework for scaling artificial intelligence in public education at the AI Impact Summit held at the Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre last February 16-21, 2026.
The session, titled “From Promising Pilots to System Shifts: What It Really Takes to Scale Responsible AI in Education,” was organized by EdTech Hub’s AI Observatory & Action Lab. The discussion focused on how artificial intelligence initiatives can move beyond small pilot projects toward responsible, system-wide adoption in large public education systems.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara underscored that scaling AI in education must be guided by evidence and accountability.
“At DepEd, we are deliberate about building AI that strengthens public institutions, protects our learners, and delivers measurable results at scale. ECAIR reflects our commitment to move beyond experimentation and toward responsible transformation across our entire education system,” Angara said.
DepEd, represented in the summit by the ECAIR team, emphasized that even incremental efficiency gains can generate significant impact.
“In a system serving over 24 million learners, even a one percent gain in efficiency has a massive impact on our country’s education system. By integrating AI into DepEd’s operations, we are saving millions of hours of our teachers’ time so they can focus on teaching,” ECAIR Governance and Delivery Lead Elmo Domino Jose said.
ECAIR is part of DepEd’s broader AI ecosystem and leads the design, development, and implementation of selected AI systems supporting governance and education service delivery. Its mandate includes ensuring that AI tools are embedded within institutional workflows rather than operating as standalone initiatives.
Among the systems highlighted during the summit were:
SIGLA, which automates school health monitoring and reporting, reducing administrative workload and saving an estimated 60,000 hours annually for approximately 34,000 teachers.
SABAY, an AI-supported digital triage system designed to extend specialist academic support to around 48,000 public schools, particularly for early-grade learners.
DepEd outlined ECAIR’s four-part framework for expanding the reach of AI solutions in public education: technical readiness for nationwide deployment; institutional ownership within DepEd; governance mechanisms embedded in system design; and transparent implementation to sustain public trust.
EdTech Hub’s AI Observatory & Action Lab supports DepEd and ECAIR through research, global best practice, real-world implementation, and documentation of evidence and outcomes. It also facilitates knowledge exchange with global experts and institutions, enabling cross-country learning to inform policy and scaling strategies.
The Philippines is one of six countries selected for the AI Observatory’s Ministry of Education AI Challenge and the only one in Southeast Asia. This engagement is supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and builds on the strong education partnership between the United Kingdom and the Philippines.
ECAIR Managing Director Dr. Erika Fille Legara said the partnership strengthens institutional capacity and evidence-based deployment.
“Our partnership with EdTech Hub’s AI Observatory ensures we are not building in isolation. We co-design systems grounded in school realities while learning from global experience,” Legara said.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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