Honoring the value of bayanihan as a driving force behind the achievements of the Department of Education (DepEd), the City Schools Division of Dasmariñas recognized the support of school and community partners in the 2019 Division Education and Stakeholders Summit held on October 1 at the Bayleaf Hotel Cavite.

Attended by 350 guests composed of school heads, PTA presidents, barangay captains, community groups, and partners from the private sector, the summit highlighted the role of sustained linkages in #BreakingNewGrounds in Education.

Schools Division Superintendent Christopher R. Diaz delivered the State of the Division Address for 2019, giving focus on the innovations and gains of the Division which were made possible through the support of partners in the Adopt-a-School Program of DepEd.

“Innovative, trailblazing, out-of-the-box thinking is what we do here at DepEd Dasmariñas. With the strong ties with the City Government, the local community, parents, faith-based organizations, and private sector partners, we are continuously delivering the best quality education to the Dasmarineño learners,” shared SDS Diaz.

This year, DepEd Dasmariñas set a record of 106.2% gross enrollment rate in the elementary and secondary levels, reduced school leaver rate of up to 7.39%, and improved completion rate to up to 93.03%. Since its establishment in 2010, the Division has reached out to more than 7,000 out-of-school children and youth through the intensified Alternative Learning System (ALS) and improved learning outcomes in 43 public schools and 109 learning centers, catering to 122,773 students in Dasmariñas City.

Moreover, with the support of partners, programs of the Curriculum Implementation Division (CID) and the School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD) towards access, quality, and governance of basic education were enhanced. In 2019 alone, seven new agreements on division-wide projects were signed, 88,026 volunteers were mobilized, and over Php 89 million in donations and labor were generated in Brigada Eskwela.

Lauding the tireless efforts of the Division and its partners, DepEd Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction Diosdado M. San Antonio encouraged the Dasmariñas community to continue investing in the education of Filipinos. Specifically, he emphasized the need for more innovative collaborations in the area of reading – one that has been a perennial challenge in schools nationwide.

“We need to go back to what is basic and essential. With the help of our partners and stakeholders, addressing the reading problem is what we aim to do in the next few years. We solve this and altogether we lift the quality of education in the Philippines,” said Usec. San Antonio.

Meanwhile, DepEd Region IV-A Assistant Regional Director Ruth L. Fuentes thanked the school heads and teachers for staying committed to the profession, in time for the celebration of the National Teachers’ Month. She also recognized their efforts in sharing the vision of DepEd with education stakeholders and mobilizing support for the different programs in schools.

Showing the local government’s support to DepEd, Dasmariñas City Mayor Jennifer Austria-Barzaga, along with City Councilor Aquino I. Garcia of the Committee on Education, attended the summit and pledged its continued assistance to the Division Office, ensuring that Dasmarineños have access to quality education not only in the elementary and secondary levels, but the tertiary level too. Mayor Barzaga happily announced the opening of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Dasmarinas in 2021.

DepEd Dasmariñas showed appreciation to its education stakeholders with the awarding of certificates and tokens. Each partner was gifted with a symbolic “kawayan para sa bayanihan” token that represents the Division’s gratitude and commitment to partnerships in education. The summit was capped off with an inspiring rendition of the song “Ikaw at Ako” by the award-winning Dasmariñas City Teachers Chorale.

The annual Division Education and Stakeholders Summit was spearheaded by the Office of the Schools Division Superintendent and the Social Mobilization and Networking Section.

For more photos of the summit, visit DepEd Dasmariñas’ official Facebook page here.