PROGRAM FOR DECENTRALIZED EDUCATION

(PRODED)

FACTS:
 “Sector Program for Elementary Education”
 Part of Government’s ten-year development program for elementary called PROCEED (Program
for Comprehensive Elementary Education Development)
 Referred to as the 1st Elementary Education Project

OBJECTIVES:
 to raise student participation & achievement
 to improve the managerial efficiency of DECS

COMPONENTS of OBJECTIVES:
 to introduce revised policies for sector financing & management to raise quality, reduce
disparities in educational opportunity & increase internal efficiency in school system (POLICY
REFORMS)
• Regional allocation of funds
• Apportionment of recurrent expenditures with below average performance
• Improved utilization of teachers
• Stricter enforcement of student admission at age 7
 to effect institutional changes to strengthen sector management (MANAGEMENT CHANGES)
 Department of Education, Culture & Sports (Sector Project Head)
 Bureau of Elementary Education (Highest Implementing Unit)
 Division of Elementary Education in every Regional Offices
 Office of Planning Service
 Instructional Materials Corporation
 to prepare revised instructional programs & materials and improve the distribution of teachers
& facilities to strengthen performance at the school level (INVESTMENT PROGRAM)
 Introduction of a new curriculum
 Development, printing and distribution of textbooks, teacher’s manuals and other IMs
 Provision of classrooms based on systematic facilities planning
 Provision of basic school furniture and equipment
 Establishment of monitoring system of teachers’ supply and demand
 Training for educational managers, planners and staff
 Systematic evaluation of sector performance by monitoring regional data annually

DESIGN AND ORGANIZATION:

 Represented an innovative approach to educational projects in Philippines
 Introduction of new curriculum supported by revised instructional materials and teaching
techniques
 Pre-service teacher education was not included

OUTCOMES:
 POLICY REFORMS
 Budget Allocations for non-salary items increased (2% to 7%)
 Assigning teachers to classes of more than 1 grade level but keeping them close to their area
of specialization
 Ratio of 1.5 teachers to a class
 Increase participation of all 7-year old children in school through two-shift plan, multigrade
classes under one teacher, 40-45 pupils per class, early registration
 Intervention programs
 a. Organization of Multigrade Classes to accommodate pupils of school-age in remote areas
b. Development of Multi-Level Materials to cater varied ability groups of pupils
c. Introduction of Accelerated Learning Program for Elementary Schools to meet the needs of
fast learners
d. Non-traditional approaches of delivering basic education
 MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS

 BEE (Bureau of Elementary Education), being the lead implementing unit performed the
following:

o introduced guidelines and standards for the development

o and utilization of curriculum materials, staff INSET &
o physical facilities
o assisted PTS (Project Technical Staff) in creating RPMTs
o (Regional Project Management Team)
o took the lead role in the RPMT activities

 OPS (Office of Planning Service) -staff training in educational research and evaluation,
statistical methods, cost-benefit analysis & educational planning

 Computer-based MIS (Management of Information System)- for OPS to respond with

greater speed to the information needs of top level officials in planning and decision-making

 EDPITAF (Educational Development Projects Implementing Task Force) organized a TBS

(Textbook Board Secretariat) -for strengthening textbook development, production,
distribution and utilization

 INVESTMENT IMPROVEMENTS
 SOFTWARE COMPONENTS
New Curriculum: New Elementary School Curriculum (NESC)
o Return to basics, as well as values of humanism and Filipinism
o 4 subjects for Grades 1 and 2
o 6 subjects for Grade 3
o 7 subjects for Grades 4 to 6

Instructional Materials Development designed to support NESC

o 2.6 million teacher’s manual and 500,000 supplementary/reference

materials
o Production and distribution of 11 million textbooks yearly
o 86.67 million copies of manuals, textbooks and references (1988)

137 elementary school titles were developed (Jan 1982-Dec 1988)

Increasing contract signing authority of DECS secretary (Php2M to Php10M)

In support of NESC, Educational Reorientation Program (ERP) was developed

o Strategies: Formal Training and Non Formal Training (LAC)

6 Special Studies were undertaken during PRODED years

o Tryout of NESC
o Household and School Matching Survey
o Philippine Elementary Education Cost and Financing
o School Location Planning
o Teacher Supply & Demand
o Sector Monitoring
 HARDWARE COMPONENTS
School Building Program accomplishments (Jan 1982-Dec 1988)
 48,532 newly constructed classrooms
 9,751 repaired structures
  2,608 multi-purpose workshops
 863 toilets
Construction of one National Educational Learning Center (NELC) and 13 Regional
Educational Learning Center (RELC)

Construction of 152 local, 26 provincial and 1 central textbook warehouses

Provided chairs and tables, chalkboards, furniture and equipment for workshops
and learning center amounting to US$6.7M and reference materials amounting to
US$14.2M

ISSUES ON IMPLEMENTATION:

WORLD BANK’S GOVERNMENT’S

PERSPECTIVE/PERFORMANCE
• The project encountered major
implementation delays and required a
two-year extension of loan closing
• The slow-paced of project
implementation was due to management
difficulties (complexity of the projects),
budget constraints (complex fund release
and payment procedures) and
procurement delays (result of
complicated and time-consuming
government procedures)
• Major shortcoming: effective monitoring
and evaluation system to assess the
impact and benefits of project inputs
• Funding constraints led to a reduction
• Lack of clarity in roles and relationships
of various agencies and departmental
units involved in the project
• The bank recognized that the project
required more than intensive supervision
• Commendable efforts on the part of
bank’s staff to help improve project
implementation but lack of continuity in
the assignment of bank’s staff to project
supervision and orientation of staff new
to the project
PERSPECTIVE/PERFORMANCE
• All the project components were
satisfactorily implemented with loan
drawdowns reaching more than 90%
• Bank’s standing practice of allowing only
bulk withdrawal applications hindered
efforts to accelerate loan disbursements
• The bank’s review mission members, who
visited the project, monitored the project
only until early 1985
• The bank gave immediate responses and
approval for the acquisition of simple
learning materials but took time on more
sophisticated items
• Overall commitment was reinforced by
renewed priority given to the education
sector and the project by the government
but there are delays in the submission of
the annual reports for Calendar Years
1982-1988 in World Bank
• The sector has a weak voice in technical
activities, especially in construction
activities

References:

De Guzman, A. B. (2003). The Dynamics of Educational Reforms in the Philippines. Asia Pacific Education
Review, 39-50.

Marinas, B. O., & Ditapat, M. (n.d.). Philippines Curriculum Development. Florida, United States of the
America.

(1991). Project Completion Report: Sector Program for Elementary Education. World Bank.

Valenzuela, E. P. (2010). Decentralization of the Education in the Philippines. Manila: SEAMEO

INNOTECH.