As the nation prepares for President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.'s third State of the Nation Address (SONA), changes in the education sector can be expected to figure prominently in the speech. 

In his second SONA, President Marcos Jr. emphasized the government's commitment to improving education through the MATATAG Agenda, which aims to enhance the quality of education and address existing issues in the sector.

“Nagsisimula ang lahat sa edukasyon, ito ay para palakasin ang isip at kakayahan ng bawat Pilipino,” he said.

The MATATAG Agenda, launched by the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2023, is set for full implementation in the 2024-2025 school year.

This aims to overhaul the basic education curriculum, with a particular focus on improving international scores in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects.

Meanwhile, the Learning Camp initiative continues nationwide, including in the Bicol Region, where the Department of Education (DepEd) reported a drop in the number of non-readers from 31.2 percent to 12.3 percent at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. 

TEACHER SUPPORT

The deployment of administrative aides to Bicol schools has also been helpful in easing the workload of educators like Marilyn Tocos, Master Teacher I in Julian B. Meliton Elementary School (JBMES).

“Dakulang bagay man si itinaong assistance kaining admin aide kasi dati kapot pa yank ang mga teachers dahil natawan nin support yung mga teachers… sa paagi kaininga admin aide na ini, si dati ming mga kinakaputan na task other than teaching [ay] nahali,” Tocos said.

A total of 90 percent of teaching positions have been filled to accommodate the growing number of students.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Marcos has also ordered the construction of new, climate-ready school facilities to address the shortage of classrooms and make schools disaster-proof.

“Schools and facilities are being retrofitted to become ready for the future—ready for hybrid and high-tech learning and also climate-ready and disaster-proof,” he said.

In Bicol, which frequently experiences calamities like typhoons, the need for disaster-resilient facilities is crucial. According to DepEd Bicol, around 1,000 classrooms are currently being constructed across the region.

“Nasa DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) na ang pagpapa-repair, nasa DPWH na ang pagpapa-construct kasi meron silang ico-construct na nasa 714 na bago ngayong 2024—at last year meron tayong 333 na sila rin ang in-charge,” Gilbert Sadsad, Regional Director of DepEd Bicol, said.

Despite these significant reforms, challenges remain, particularly regarding teachers' salaries, which were not addressed in the previous SONA, but continue to be a pressing concern for many in the education sector.