DepEd opens transparency portal

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education has opened the “Paaralang Bukas Dashboard,” a transparency portal that would give the public a clear view of a school’s performance and needs.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said through the portal, the DepEd would make education data more open, accessible and actionable for all Filipinos.

The initiative would empower parents, teachers, local governments and the public to better understand the state of schools and learning in the country and to take part in building solutions, he said.

More than a database, Angara said the transparency portal would serve as a bridge between government education investments and the people’s active participation in monitoring and improving learning outcomes.

He added that dashboard users would be able to access school-level learning results for both private and public schools, such as the Early Language, Literacy and Numeracy Assessment and the National Achievement Tests for School Year 2023-2024.

The portal would also feature key school characteristics for all public schools – enrollment numbers, facilities, utilities, maintenance spending and other critical resources – making education governance more open than ever before, Angara said.

“The data of all the schools should be open to all so that together, we can find solutions and be open to more opportunities for the youth,” he said.

DepEd Undersecretary for Strategic Management Ronald Mendoza said the initiative strengthens the department’s commitment to transparent governance of basic education.

“The disclosure of information promotes accountability, as reforms and investments of the government become open to the public for participation in monitoring and evaluation. This is also aligned with the Open Government Partnership’s mission, of which the Philippines is a founding member,” Mendoza said.

The Open Government Partnership is a global multi-stakeholder initiative that champions improved transparency, accountability and responsiveness in governments, he added.

Mendoza said the DepEd’s open data effort would allow education stakeholders to better identify and respond to the needs of schools, learners and teachers.

For instance, resources and support could be directed to schools that visibly need an extra hand, whether in facilities, teaching materials or improving performance in assessment tests.

“Through this dashboard, we intend to encourage not only transparency but collaboration among various stakeholders, reflecting our vision to be more responsive to the needs of the education sector, while building on foundations towards reform and global competitiveness,” he said.