Of the total ______ schools in the Division of Masbate Province ____ of which are privately operated.

Your school
____________ is one of these schools. However, be it a public and private school, we have the same target and thus we
stand united in achieving our end goal which is to provide quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating education for all.

Allow me to share to you four important end goals the Department of Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones
shared in one of her talks to the deped officials and learners. We as the agents of education vow to continuously
improve the delivery of basic education to children and all the leaners of our beloved country.

First, raise the quality of education. Our educational system has undergone several transitions in pursuit of improving
the quality of our services. Nonetheless, what is truly regarded as quality education? It is the presence of smartboards or
smart tvs in every classroom? Does a fully air conditioned classroom equate to quality? Somehow, yes but physical
facilities are not the sole basis. We have to consider other factors such that of teacher competence, school
management, resources and support from parents and other stakeholders.

Second, make education accessible. The state is mandated to make education accessible to all that is why almost all
barangays have elementary schools. Accessibility, however, does not only mean proximity or the nearness of a school to
households. It also mean giving the opportunity to learners to choose in whichever school they intend to enroll. Who
says only rich have the right to study in private schools? Through the financial assistance under the Government
Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE), poor but deserving students were able to enroll and
finish elementary and secondary education.

Third, make education relevant to the needs and opportunities of our nation. What does our country need? How can we
provide the needs of our nation? The concept is simple. We give to the learners what are expected of them when they
proceed to the next higher level of education and consequently when they immerse to the field after they graduate. If
the community needs famers since it belongs to plant industry then we should be training our learners as early as kinder
not just to be farmers but to be agricultural engineers to improve crop production and to create farm equipment to
make farming easier and faster.

Lastly, make education truly liberating. This is exactly what the theme “K to 12 Learners Ready to Face Life’s Challenges”
of this year’s graduation rites conveys. We should give the kind of education that will completely change the lives of our
learners; the kind that will liberate them from the bonds of poverty; and the kind of education that will prepare them to
only face but to crush the challenges of life. Train our learners as early as kindergarten the skills and specially the
attitudes that will make them responsible and productive citizens our country.

It is when our learners have improved the quality of their lives that we will have the right to say that educating them has
been successful.