MANILA, Philippines - To make young children's first school experience enjoyable and motivate them to stay in school and complete their education, Department of Education (DepEd) continues its efforts to strengthen the competency of its preschool teachers.
According to Education Secretary Armin Luistro, DepEd-through the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE)-will conduct a Summer Institute Program (SIP) for Preschool teachers from May 2 to 27 so they could better understand the developmental characteristics of young learners.
"The conduct of the program will provide pre-school teachers quality preparation in meeting the standards required by the department," Luistro said.
The summer training "just shows that nothing can stop us in pursuing an institutionalized preschool program in our public schools," Luistro added.
For the DepEd secretary, "enhancing the competencies of preschool teachers will have a great impact on the young learners so we should ensure that they are ready for the challenge."
The program is expected to make teachers competent in the use of developmentally appropriate methods and strategies to develop the child's potential in their physical, social, emotional and cognitive areas.
"This is also aimed at developing skills by setting up the learning environment and establishing routines using positive guidance," Luistro said. "It will likewise explain basic principles in planning developmentally appropriate practices and activities to preschool children."
Six universities across the country will host the summer program. The University of the Philippines in Diliman, Mariano Marcos Memorial University in Ilocos and Bicol University in Albay will be the venue for 800 participants from Luzon.
A total of 560 teachers from Visayas will attend the program at West Visayas State University, while Southern Mindanao State University and University of Southern Philippines will serve as venues for the program in Mindanao.
