Learner voice anchored in policy as DepEd reforms move toward future-ready education

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MAKATI CITY, 2 February 2026 – The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday said learner participation is helping ground ongoing education reforms on actual classroom experience, as the agency works to strengthen foundational learning and improve how teaching and assessment are delivered in schools.

Speaking at the International Day of Education celebration at Gen. Pio del Pilar National High School in Makati City, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said DepEd’s reform agenda is increasingly learner-centered, particularly in the early grades where learning foundations are built. 

“We will have universal feeding for all public schools in the Philippines for kindergarten and grade 1, all for 180 days for the full school cycle. For the first time in Philippine history. And the budget is now almost 10 times more,” Angara said. 

He said the expansion of the School-Based Feeding Program reflects the Department’s emphasis on foundational learning and learner readiness. 

“Kung titignan natin yung mga bansa na maunlad sa edukasyon, nakatutok po sila doon sa pundasyon. ‘Pag mahina ang pundasyon, mahina din ang itatayong gusali o itatayong halili. So definitely, and it doesn't just involve what we teach in the classroom. It involves what we do at home. How we bring up our children,” Angara said. 

As part of efforts to make learning more engaging, Angara urged schools and teachers to maximize the use of digital and instructional tools, such as Khan Academy Philippines, Canva, Google, and Microsoft, made available by the Department. 

“So by all means, let's make use of the tools being made available to you by the Department to maximize our students' learning. We really want to make things more fun, more engaging. Because we realize this is a system that we all co-create together. And it's for the benefit of everyone,” Angara added. 

Education partners also highlighted the role of young people as active contributors to reform. “As lifelong learners, volunteers, peer educators, innovators, advocates, and future leaders, youth are not just participants in education. They are its driving force,” said Ivan Anthony Henares, secretary general of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines. 

UNICEF Philippines Country Representative Kyungsun Kim said learner participation strengthens the relevance of education reforms. 

“Your voice, your creativity, your courage, and your power to help shape the future of education in the Philippines and the future of the country,” Kim said. 

The event, themed “The Power of Youth in Co-Creating Education,” brought together student leaders, youth advisers, teachers, and DepEd officials from the National Capital Region.  

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