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Thursday, September 21, 2006
Education launches anew Adopt-A-School program
EDUCATION Secretary Jesli Lapus has urged various business leaders to support basic education during the re-launching of the department’s Adopt-A-School program at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City.
In his speech before various business leaders, Lapus emphasized the need for various stakeholders to defeat the education crisis. He also pointed out that with the enormous possibilities presented by the emerging Knowledge-Based Society, the danger of not being able to meet the high standards which are strictly prescribed by this age of technology and information must also be addressed.
“Failure to provide quality education for all Filipinos will lead to the further decline of our country’s socio-economic condition,” Lapus said. “With millions of young Filipinos unskilled, ill-equipped and ill-prepared to compete in the international arena, our future work force will be relegated to do less productive tasks,” he added.
Lapus also stressed the urgency of addressing the problem of basic education now, citing that the country will lose more employment opportunities brought about by decline in skills of our country’s people.
“The longer we wait, the greater the odds that we will fail. We need to improve the quality of teaching and learning, instill a culture of lifelong learning among our students, and provide alternative learning opportunities for the millions more who are not in school but need to gain the functional literacy required to become useful to society,” Lapus added.
Lapus thanked the League of Corporate Foundations and other business groups for making education their foremost advocacy.
“This clearly demonstrates that the people behind LCF understand the significance of our call— they understand that education remains our country’s top social and business concern,” Lapus said.
In closing, Lapus urged the business sector to invest more on basic education, underscoring the cultivation of strong partnerships between public education and business groups through the Adopt-A-School Program.
“Do put your precious Corporate Social Responsibility resources in education,” Lapus urged. “Our people’s ability to survive and their ability to get out of poverty are anchored on quality and relevant education,” he said.
The 2006 Basic Education Forum was attended by more than 300 business leaders in the country. The event was hosted by the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF), Mirant Foundation, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP), in cooperation with the Department of Education (DepEd). (Press release)
(September 21, 2006 issue)
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