President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. challenged the Department of Education to raise the bar higher and accelerate improvements in the education system.

In his speech during the Basic Education Report 2024 in Pasay City on Thursday, Marcos stressed that every child should have access to quality education regardless of background or ability.

“It is not just learners in classrooms who must be graded; it is also the educational system that we must assess as well,” the Chief Executive said.

Marcos pushed for a more ambitious teaching approach, calling on the DepEd to go beyond the basic requirements and “give ourselves assignments harder than what we ask our learners to submit.”

This factor, Marcos said, is crucial to fulfilling the government’s “greatest obligation” to the Filipino youth, which is to mold them into critical thinkers, problem solvers, and visionary future leaders.

He then praised the DepEd for also focusing on marginalized groups like indigenous peoples, out-of-school youth, and children with disabilities.

“In the end, the reforms that we envision for our educational system should be showcased in our classrooms,” he said, painting a picture of classrooms equipped with resources and staffed by well-trained, motivated, and well-paid teachers.

He also urged DepEd to further “accelerate the building of more classrooms, laboratories, and schools” as the Education department had secured P11.7 billion for education projects.

“We should not let up on the gas pedal. We need to build more classrooms, laboratories, and schools at a faster pace,” Marcos said.

The President acknowledged the challenges faced by DepEd, including “institutional bottlenecks,” but praised the department’s efforts in building and repairing thousands of classrooms in 2023.

“Books, furniture, and other pedagogical tools must be prioritized,” he said. “One of the key goals is to ensure Wi-Fi services reach all schools. We must make it happen.”