History of Chief Barmm Cabinet Headlines

The Department of Education (DepEd; Filipino: Kagawaran ng Edukasyon) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for ensuring access to, promoting equity in, and improving the quality of basic education. It is the main agency tasked to manage and govern the Philippine system of basic education. It is the chief formulator of Philippine education policy and responsible for the Philippine primary and secondary school systems.^[1]

History

Philippine Education has undergone different stages of progress from the pre-Spanish era to the present.^[1]

Spanish period

During the early Spanish period, education in the Philippines was religion-oriented and was primarily for the elite, especially in the first years of Spanish colonization. Access to education by Filipinos was later liberalized through the enactment of the Educational Decree of 1863, which provided for the establishment of at least one primary school for boys and girls in each town under the responsibility of the municipal government, and the establishment of a normal school for male teachers under the supervision of the Jesuits. Primary instruction was secularized and free, and the teaching of Spanish was compulsory.^[1]

American period

A secularized and free public school system during the first decade of American rule was established upon the recommendation of the Schurman Commission in 1900. Free primary instruction that trained the people for the duties of citizenship was enforced by the Taft Commission as per instructions of US President William McKinley. Chaplains and non-commissioned officers were assigned to teach using English as the medium of instruction.^[1]

World War II

During World War II, the department was reorganized once again through the Japanese's Military Order No. 2 in February 1942, splitting the department into the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Public Instruction. Under the Japanese, the teaching of Tagalog, Philippine history, and character education was given priority.^[1]

Martial law

Upon the start of Martial Law in September 1972, it became the Department of Education and Culture and subsequently reorganized into the Ministry of Education and Culture in June 1978 by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1397, due to the shift to a parliamentary system of government. Thirteen regional offices were created and major organizational changes were implemented in the educational system.^[1]

Contemporary period

In the new school calendar, DepEd Order No. 3, series of 2024 dated February 19, 2024 “adjusted end of the school year (SY) shall be May 31, 2024.” It urged schools to conduct all end-of-school-year rites from May 29 to 31, as the school break is set from June 1 to July 26 and the start of the SY 2024-2025 is set for July 29 which will then end on May 16, 2025.^[1]

Organizational structure

At present, the Department is headed by the secretary of education, with the following undersecretaries and assistant secretaries:^[1]

Bureaus and services

Bureau of Human Resources and Organizational Development (BHROD)^[1]

Attached agencies

The following agencies, councils, and schools are attached to DepEd for policy and program coordination:^[1]