Marcos touts education reforms, teacher welfare improvements

Education stakeholders in Ilocos Norte praised President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s efforts to improve teacher welfare and emphasize education reforms during his fourth State of the Nation Address.

Marcos highlighted literacy programs such as Bawat Bata Makakabasa, the Literacy Remediation Program, and the ARAL Program, which have reportedly reduced low-emerging readers in Grade 3 by 96.37 percent.

The president also promised to address classroom shortages by adding 40,000 classrooms before the end of his term in 2028, with 22,000 already completed and a further 328 new child development centers under construction in the poorest municipalities.

Teachers will receive overload and overtime compensation starting this school year, along with better access to digital systems and new laptops. The government also plans to increase mental health support for students through additional school counselors and services under the YAKAP Caravan program.

Lawyer James Ceasar Ventura and Grade 1 teacher Leonora Melchor welcomed Marcos' promises for teachers and the hiring of more non-teaching staff to ease their workload, while Virgilio Julius Manzano, president of Mariano Marcos State University, expressed interest in ongoing developments in education, agriculture, transportation, and eGov digitalization.