The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) and other private educational organizations have pledged to collaborate with Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara, to improve educational outcomes across the Philippines.
Angara welcomed this support, highlighting the importance of collaboration between public and private sectors.
“As we build from the legacy of my father, we continue the pursuit of making quality education accessible to all. And one aspect of that will be to ensure that the Constitutional edict on the complementarity of public and private education is actually put into practice,” Angara said.
Private school organizations pledged to aid DepEd in enhancing the quality of basic education through various initiatives, including learner programs, curricular reforms, teacher development, and capacity-building efforts. They also emphasized the importance of public-private complementarity programs.
Fr. Albert N. Delvo, chairman of COCOPEA, affirmed the group’s readiness to collaborate: “We are ready to share our resources in response to immediately address the goals of the Department of Education under your leadership, to meet the education system’s challenges related to quality, employability, and public-private complementarity, including the expansion of government assistance and subsidies.”
In an open letter released on Friday, COCOPEA highlighted the potential impact of the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) voucher program, which would enhance educational opportunities for millions of Filipino public school students, fostering complementarity between public and private schools, and driving overall improvement in the quality of education nationwide.
“We stand ready to assist you as proactive partners in this mission. We are ready to share our collective expertise and resources as we work together in the spirit of an all-of-society approach,” the group said.
COCOPEA is composed of five national educational associations: Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP); Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU); Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities (ACSCU); Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAPSCU); and the Unified TVET of the Philippines (UniTVET).
