Vice President Sara Z. Duterte (left) receives Ambassador Steven J. Robinson, AO (right) and officials of the Australian Embassy. | PHOTO: Office of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte expressed hope for Australia to continue strengthening its ties with the Philippines in enhancing the education sector.
The Office of the Vice President (OVP) said on Thursday that Duterte thanked Australia for the support it has been providing the education sector in a meeting with Australian Ambassador Steven Robinson.
During the meeting at the Department of Education (DepEd) Central Office in Pasig City on Wednesday, Robinson mentioned programs that Australia is pursuing in the country in cooperation with the education agency.
The programs include the construction of 509 classrooms across the country, training for 33,500 teachers, and implementation of curriculum development for children.
Robinson also mentioned Australia’s Education Pathways program, which a diverse group of students would benefit from. These students would be those in madrasahs who can integrate smoothly into normal schools, and students who need technical training.
The envoy further said that Australia is providing 80 scholarships to Filipinos pursuing Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
Similarly, the OVP also mentioned the plan of DepEd to establish targets for gauging improvement in student performance and reviewing the effectiveness of the K-12 curriculum.
This 2022, the Philippines and Australia celebrate 76 years of diplomatic relations, with Australia’s aid program efforts in the areas of basic education, training and human resource development, public financial management, health, rural and community development, governance, assistance to vulnerable groups, infrastructure, and support to the Mindanao peace and development process. —Nicole Faye Agcaoili (09171164350), INQUIRER.net intern