DepEd taps SEAMEO to upgrade school heads’ competencies
MANILA,
Aug. 21 (PNA) -- To improve the quality and reach of education in the
public school system, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Jesli
Lapus recently tapped Southeast Asian Ministers of Education
Organization, Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology
(SEAMEO-INNOTECH) to upgrade the competencies of school principals.
Lapus
asked SEAMEO-INNOTECH to initially train some 1,600 school principals
all over the country under the DepEd EXCELS-Excellence in School
Leadership in Southeast Asia.
"By
upgrading their competencies, we optimize the principal's leadership
and management capabilities while updating them on the latest trends in
curriculum and instruction," he said.
Lapus believes that the school principals are critical players in delivering quality basic education.
The
combination of online classes, individual coaching through the Internet
and face-to-face sessions will help maximize group and individual
learning, while ensuring that the outputs are produced by the
principals themselves.
Lapus
said that some 1,200 principals have undergone four weeks of intensive
online sessions where a flexible learning tutor guides them through
different sessions. The principals can either have group interaction,
one-on-one consultations with the flexible learning tutor, or do online
forums among their peers.
On
their own time, the principals read, download and study resource
materials, and answer exercises and case studies. Among the learning
resources for the principals are the Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development (ASCD) materials and the Harvard Education
Review online.
Dr.
Erlinda Pefianco, SEAMEO-INNOTECH director, said one major requirement
in the course is to put together a school improvement plan for their
region. The partner TEI also grants 3 academic credits leading to a
graduate degree in education.
"We
are pleased that the DepEd leadership can see the potentials of the
flexible learning system and appreciate the opportunities it offers for
the future," she said.
Pefianco said the program has successfully demonstrated the system in the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
She hopes to mainstream it in the Philippines.
"We
are looking at DepEd and our partner TEIs to institutionalize the
program. There are more than 40,000 schools all over the country and
each principal could be trained through the system. . It will need some
investment in hardware and operating systems, though," she said. (PNA)
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