Mendoza: Valuable lessons to share from overseas

FOREIGN travels especially if acquired through grants or scholarships wherein the Philippine government will only spend a small amount or nothing at all are very essential to attain a state of world class education that we aspire as a nation.

The world now is just in front of our computer tables or mobile gadgets and seeing it and experiencing what we see in those gadgets would give the scholarship/study tour recipients a personal knowledge and feel of how education system is being implemented in those countries.

It would be more meaningful if there would be a small group representing all levels from central to the school and learning center levels to be part of the contingent so that the group will form as TWG to further enhance the delivery of our curriculum.

Talking about foreign travels, DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones reminded all DepEd officials and personnel to bring additional knowledge and insights from their official foreign travels that are essential in developing meaningful and useful programs for the Department.

Briones exhorted them to make sure that they don’t only bring back memorabilia or souvenirs, but also additional knowledge and insights on how they can better serve our learners.

In a forum she attended in General Santos City earlier this month, the education chief also underscored the importance of securing the necessary travel clearance and documents for both official and personal foreign travels in compliance with the Deped Memorandum No. 8, series of 2018, or the Dissemination of Memorandum from the Executive Secretary dated 03 January 2018 (Directives Applying to Foreign Travels of All Government Officials and Personnel in the Executive Department):You are expected to seek the approval of the head of the agency whenever you travel abroad, whether it is official or personal.”

The secretary went on by saying that for official foreign travels, it is very important to state why one is travelling, its benefits to the organization, and the financial obligation especially when it involves official funds. And when one returns, he or she is supposed to submit a report on the result of your activities.

The issues were highlighted by the Deped Secretary during the Mindanao leg of the Forum on International Partnerships and Commitments in Basic Education held on May 30 at the Sun City Suites in General Santos City, spearheaded by the DepEd-International Cooperation Office (ICO).

The DepEd website says the event aimed to introduce international commitments and partnerships; discuss the general guidelines on the protocol for travels abroad; provide avenue to discuss concerns on international partnership-building; and introduce the ICO and its services.

In the same forum, Undersecretary for Planning and Field Operations Jesus Mateo, DepEd-ICO Director Margarita Ballesteros, and representatives from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations shared valuable knowledge to the participants.

This Corner hopes that with those significant inputs, foreign travels must not only be viewed by those who participated in them as time to relax and enjoy but opportune events to further share valuable inputs to the education system of the country.

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