Dr. Milwida M. Guevara
The delivery of education is not the mandate of local governments. It is the responsibility of the central government. However, many governors and mayors have been at the forefront, providing every child in their communities with the opportunity to receive a good basic education. They acquire land, build an elementary and high school in every barangay, and construct farm-to-market roads so children from distant barangay can go to school. They have gone beyond building monuments and invested in programs that are not visible to voters. These are capacity-building programs designed to improve learning performance. Education-mayors and governors have organized teaching camps where teachers revisit the basics of reading skills development. Teachers practice sounding letters and blending them to form words. They work on how to read stories animatedly, not only to spur interest in reading, but also to encourage children to explain why a prince was turned into a frog and why the young Jose Rizal threw the other pair of his slippers into the river. These camps enable teachers to teach reading not through rote or by repetition but by developing independent reading skills. Since parents play a crucial role in their children’s education, camps are also organized for parents to share best practices on how to raise responsible and respectful children. Local chief executives (LCEs) not only serve as financiers of programs but also demonstrate the importance that local governments place on learning by joining teachers in their workshops. How inspiring it is to see and listen to their LCEs spend time with them — reciting poems, singing songs and reading stories.
These experiences are not just anecdotal. Local chief executives are increasingly using data to understand how students are performing in school. The test of education-mayors is whether they know how many children in their community are reading well and how many are nonreaders. Gone are the days when they speak in terms of generalities. They now measure the impact of programs on performance. They also understand the serious implications that only one out of 10 fourth-grade students can read well, and that they should do their best to help them overcome this challenge.
Every year, the Synergeia Foundation confers the Seal of Good Education Governance to local governments that have significantly improved their retention and cohort survival rates. In addition, these local government units (LGUs) have significantly reduced the number of their non- and frustrated readers, enabling a great number of their children to become independent readers. This year, five LGUs met all these benchmarks: Buldon in Maguindanao, Cabagan in Isabela, Quezon City, Valenzuela City and Lamitan City in Basilan. An additional 26 LGUs were recognized for achieving at least one benchmark — an admirable feat considering that they are stepping into a role that technically belongs to the central government.
It has not been easy for education-mayors and governors. There are limitations in the law that restrict their initiatives in education. The Local Government Code defines the membership and functions of the local school board (LSB). Spending on programs that are beyond those that are defined by the law risks disallowance by the Commission on Audit. Some even interpret their active participation in education as “interference.” But exemplary leaders persist.
Gov. Toto Defensor of Iloilo province aptly states: “Education is the core of the responsibilities of local governments, even if it is not devolved.” Former Naga City mayor Jesse Robredo demonstrated how “it takes a village to make education work,” using LSB as the gateway. Believing that “what the law does not prohibit, it allows,” he expanded the membership of LSBs and brought representatives from business, private schools and nongovernmental organizations as members to harness more expertise and resources. He broadened the functions of LSBs to include performance assessment, teacher training, parent engagement, workbook development and performance incentives. He stated that LCEs are accountable for how public funds, such as the Special Education Fund, is spent, and that LCEs should not be merely passive participants in determining how education is delivered. Former mayor Rex Gatchalian described the LCEs as “co-drivers” of the Department of Education (DepEd) and developed a 360-degree Education Investment Program. He viewed the delivery of education as a system composed of different spokes: infrastructure, capacity-building of stakeholders, feeding, remediation in reading and math, values education through sports and learning facilities. He spearheaded the development of assessment tests to supplement DepEd’s assessments and rewarded schools that made significant gains in learning performance. He even adopted a bottom-up approach in budgeting the SEF, where funding was allocated to school governing councils that implemented programs enhancing the reading, writing and math capabilities of children.
Across the country, especially in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, hundreds of mayors show us how to mobilize the entire community so that children can be helped. They convene education summits to listen to parents’ concerns and design demand-driven programs that often address the needs of an entire family. But their examples need to be scaled. The current one-size-fits-all approach from the center cannot meet the diverse needs of children from 1,493 municipalities, 149 cities and 42,046 barangay.
We must localize basic education. Evidence shows that when local governments take responsibility, guided by national standards, student outcomes improve.
The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EdCom 2) is now charting a road map for devolving basic education through a Proof of Concept in Iloilo province and Iloilo City. Early results are promising. This approach could be our game changer.
Dr. Milwida M. Guevara of the Synergia Foundation is a member of the Advisory Council of the Second Congressional Commission on Education, under the Standing Committee on Governance and Finance.
