- A new challenge has arose as DepEd aims to reskill and upskill teachers on STEM Course
- DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malalulan said that efforts to update the curriculum are underway
- He added that the fruits of the STEM course could be the answer to the country’s most pressing problems
The Department of Education, or DepEd, has called for the reskilling and upskillin of teachers in order for them to remain relevant and up-to-date in today’s rapid growth of technology and innovation economy.,
DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said efforts to update the curriculum as well as arm educators with skills on integrated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are ongoing.
Teachers need to upskill to keep up with innovations in STEM
According to a report made by Sun Star, it was during the First Integrated Stem Leadership Summit in Asia held in Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa, where Malaluan gave a speech about engaging the present developments as well as innovation of others.
The First Integrated Stem Leadership Summit in Asia, which was attended by 200 international delegates, aims to involve representatives from government, industry and education sectors to scale up Stem education in the country.
“The present time, this development context, is a world of intelligent production and intelligent products. The Philippines is touched mainly by this present time and development as a consumer,” Malaluan said.
“As a country we want to engage this development context not just as consumers but we want to be part of intelligent production, creation and innovation,” he continued.
The undersecretary maintained that the agency is working on its reform programs, however it seeks national support on four areas.
“First, is the review and updating of our curriculum; second is the continuous improvement of the learning environment for our students; third is the multi-stakeholders support and cooperation and; lastly the upskilling and reskilling of our teachers to keep up with the developments of our times,” he said.
He also cited some of the real world problems that the country is facing, like the issue on food security because of the aging farmers; as well as the calamities that hit our nation like earthquakes that destroy classrooms. Malaluan continued to say that STEM education is one of the vital solutions to address these.
“Where do we get solutions to problems that we face year after year? We need to get our students Stem knowledge and thinking like problem solving and critical thinking to address these real world problems,” he said.
He said they have to make sure that the training programs will be translated to classroom changes.
