INNOTECH continues to support DepEd with policy recommendations on early childhood education, teacher motivation, multigrade schools, and school health
SEAMEO INNOTECH is committed to support the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) in improving the quality of education in the country, especially in these uncertain times. For the past months, the Center has shared various policy notes to the Department to further support in their COVID-19 response and recovery programs during and beyond this pandemic.
Three policy notes were presented during the DepEd Executive Committee meeting held on 15 March 2021. These are on Teacher Motivation Study, Review of Current Situation and Practices of Multigrade Schools in the Philippines, and the Longitudinal Study on Early Childhood Care and Education.
Teacher Motivation Study
The Teacher Motivation Study is a project of INNOTECH, done in close collaboration with DepEd, to see what motivates teachers in joining and remaining in the profession. The research also surfaced possible reasons why teachers leave the profession. Through the research findings, policy reforms on teacher preparation, recruitment, recognition and rewards, workload, professional development, career progression, benefits, and working environment were recommended.
(Read: EXPLORING TEACHERS’ WHYS: Understanding Motivation Among Teachers in the Philippines)
Review of Multigrade Schools in the Philippines
Another research project done in collaboration with DepEd, as well as with UNICEF, is the review of multigrade schools in the Philippines. This is the first systematic and comprehensive national review of the multigrade program, which encompasses all its programmatic components and includes model multigrade schools and implementers from all regions across the country. Through the program review findings, the research team recommends reviewing and updating program policies to encompass all components and ensure consistency of action. There is also a need to contextualize policies to match the local needs of the school communities. Moreover, specific recommendations were made to improve the program management, monitoring and evaluation, classroom organization, teacher recognition and career pathing, teaching and learning resources, parental and community support, and access to quality education in disadvantaged communities, among others.
Longitudinal Study on ECCD
The longitudinal study on early childhood care and development is a research done in collaboration with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). It measured the growth and development of learners from Kinder to Grade 2. The study recommends close monitoring of learners in conflict-affected areas to ensure they do not fall behind. It also recommends further study on the gap between curriculum expectations and learners’ skills at the end of Grade 2. In terms of policies, the research recommends contextualization of curricula, learning materials, pedagogy, and assessment.
Following the presentation of these research studies, two more policy studies were presented during a meeting with DepEd on 19 April 2021. The second set of presentations focused on school health care and nutrition and inquiry-based teaching and learning.
For more details about these Policy Notes and recommendations, kindly access our iKNOW page.
