President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed various government agencies to prioritize the welfare of students as the academic year 2025–2026 begins, emphasizing the need for collaboration to address longstanding issues in the education sector.

Speaking during a visit to Epifanio Delos Santos Elementary School in Manila, Marcos underscored the importance of inter-agency cooperation in improving the learning environment.

“All government departments are converged here, [working together],” the President told teachers and education officials during his tour.

One of his key directives was for the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to accelerate efforts to connect more public schools to the internet — especially those located in far-flung, Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs). Marcos lamented that only 60 percent of public schools are currently connected online.

To ease the financial burden on students and their families, Marcos also tasked the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to ensure the affordability of school supplies and the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to guarantee the proper implementation of student fare discounts.

In terms of health and safety, the President ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to provide adequate medical services and facilities within schools to respond to emergencies or accidents.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), meanwhile, was tapped to strengthen monitoring of bullying and cyberbullying cases, citing the harmful impact of such incidents on children’s mental health and academic performance.

“Cyber ​​bullying, bullying…  it becomes a big problem, because it's a mental health problem for children, they will not perform well (in school), because there's bullying, they can't study well,” Marcos stressed.

Expanded feeding program

Marcos also highlighted the government’s commitment to expanding the DSWD-led school-based feeding program, which is set to roll out in July. He emphasized that nutrition is key to supporting children’s learning.

“Maybe our next meeting will be at the feeding program so we can monitor it closely,” he said, noting that the expansion builds on earlier efforts to support youth nutrition.

The President also cited the DSWD’s initiative under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), which provides nutritional assistance to pregnant mothers and children up to two years old, contributing to healthy development during the first 1,000 days.

“If you remember [at] DSWD, we already have a program from the first 1,000 days. Including pregnancy so that the child can be well cared for before birth and then after birth,” he shared.

“Now, from 5 years old on, we have many programs for them especially the feeding program for our young people,” he added.

Before ending his visit, the President urged teachers to raise their concerns with the Department of Education (DepEd) and local government officials to improve education delivery at the grassroots level.

“Tell your DepEd representative, even at the LGU, up to the regional level, so we can know. Your superintendents… give us whatever you think we can do to make things better,” he said referring to teaching needs and school operations.