FILE PHOTO: Senator Sherwin Gatchalian. Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian proposes expanding the local school board’s roles through the 21st Century School Boards Act.
This developed after Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte urged the involvement of local government units in education.
“Sa pagbangon ng sektor ng edukasyon mula sa krisis na ating kinakaharap, mahalaga ang papel ng ating mga local government unit lalo na’t mas malapit sila sa ating mga kababayan. Kaya naman isinusulong natin ang pagpapatatag sa ating mga local school board upang mapalawak natin ang papel ng mga komunidad sa paghahatid ng dekalidad na edukasyon,” Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate committee on basic education, said in a statement Monday.
(In the recovery of the education sector from the crisis, the role of our local government units is essential, especially since they are closer to our citizens. That is why we promote strengthening our local school boards to expand communities’ role in delivering quality education.)
Senate Bill No. 155, or the 21st Century School Boards Act seeks to empower the local school board to involve other education stakeholders and relevant actors in the community.
Under the bill, the local school board will be mandated to include formulating policies on improving the delivery and quality of basic education.
The success indicators for the proposal will include the participation rate of students, number of dropouts and out-of-school youth, achievement scores in national tests or assessment tools, creation of child development centers, support to special needs education, the Alternative Learning System, and the Parent Effectiveness Service program.
The senator further said that his bill would mandate the board to introduce timely, organized, and localized educational interventions during calamities, disasters, and emergencies causing school disruptions.
The proposal will utilize the Special Education Fund (SEF) sourced from the one-percent tax on real property.
Under the Local Government Code of 1991, the SEF is allocated for local school boards to operate and keep public schools and build and repair school buildings.
In Gatchalian’s bill, the SEF may be used for the salaries of teachers, non-teaching personnel of public elementary and secondary schools, preschool teachers, and teachers and non-teaching personnel’s honorarium and allowances for additional rendered service after regular school hours. —Mae Anne F. Bilolo, trainee
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