Research partnership to boost Phl education

MANILA, Philippines - Australia and the Philippines launched a new research partnership that aims to raise the quality of education in the Philippines by investing in research to support the implementation of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Kindergarten to 12 program.

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Bill Tweddell, Education Secretary Armin Luistro and Commission on Higher Education Commissioner Cynthia Bautista led the opening of the Assessment Curriculum and Technology Research Centre (ACTRC), a partnership of the University of the Philippines College of Education and the University of Melbourne’s Assessment Research Centre.

The ACTRC, located in UP-Diliman, Quezon City, was established with P150-million (A$3.4 million) support from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). “Australia strongly supports the Philippine government’s efforts in implementing the K to 12 program. Investing in a quality education system will provide better opportunities for all, and a pathway out of poverty for the most disadvantaged,” Tweddell said.

The center will undertake grounded research and evaluation activities in the areas of assessment, curriculum and technology as they relate to the implementation of the Philippine Government’s K to 12 Program.

UP College of Education dean Rosario Alonzo said, “The establishment of the ACTRC will enable UP to contribute not only to the implementation of a major reform program such as the K to 12, but also to the professional development of the UP faculty, especially of the College of Education. This is crucial to the University’s fulfillment of its mandate as a research university.”