Education will remain the top priority of the Makati City government under the administration of Mayor Abigail Binay.
Binay made this assurance during the 2nd Commencement Exercises of the K to 12 Senior High School Program last Thursday at the Marquis Events Place, Bonifacio Global City where she was invited as guest speaker.
“Almost majority of my projects are for kids because my philosophy is, if you kids are happy, your parents are happy as well,” said Binay.
The city chief executive assured the more than 1,200 graduates from the seven public senior high schools that the city government would continue to improve the quality of education in the city’s public schools, noting that they should be proud of being products of the city’s public education system.
“We have levelled up with the standards of private schools and dispelled the connotation of ‘substandard education’ attached to public schools,” she said.
Binay also exhorted the graduates to have a vision of what they want to become in the future and to make a plan on how to achieve it.
“You should learn to dream. You should learn to plan to get that dream,” she told the graduates, who included 531 honor graduates.
Saying that the graduates should already know what they want to be in the next five years, the mayor assured them that the city government, along with their parents, would help them reach their dreams.
The mayor underscored her thrust of inclusive education by sharing her vision of all public schools in Makati, and not just Makati Science High School, showing excellent academic performance, particularly in Math and Science.
She cited Project MILES (Mathematics Intensive Learning Enhancement for Students), which was launched in September last year, as an initiative of her administration to address the disparity between regular public schools and MakSci.
Project MILES consists of programs designed to improve the Math competency of students in Makati public elementary and junior high schools, using Koobits, a Singaporean Math software popularly known as a top Math learning platform.
Recently, Mayor Binay has announced plans to establish a school that befits a digital city, one that is fully equipped with fast and reliable wifi connection and modern computers to teach students the latest technology and develop them into globally competitive citizens.
Through the Makati Public Wi-Fi Project, which now covers 13 out of 27 target barangays, free internet connection has been made available to students enrolled in the city’s public schools.
For school year 2018-2019, all students in public senior high schools in Makati were provided with free school supplies, uniforms and ‘Air Binay’ rubber shoes under Project FREE (Free Relevant and Excellent Education) of the city.
For the first time, they were also treated to free educational trips under the Talent Optimization Programs for Students, as part of the city government’s continuing efforts to develop “globally competitive Makatizens”.
Last year, some 400 students from the city’s public schools underwent the Senior High School Work Immersion Program, a program launched by the city in partnership with DepEd Makati.
Under the program, the city deploys senior high school students to its different sections, departments, and project sites, where they are provided with training related to their course.
According to DepEd Makati, Makati High School this year has the most number of senior high graduates with 363 graduates, of which 10 students graduated with high honors and 127 graduated with honors. It is followed by Fort Bonifacio High School with 202 graduates, including 39 with honors. Next is Makati Science High School which has 166 graduates, of which four graduated with high honors and 154 with honors.
The remaining schools with senior high school program are Nemesio I. Yabut Senior High School with 142 graduates (four with high honors and 43 with honors); Pitogo SHS, 136 graduates (13 with high honors and 57 with honors); Benigno Aquino SHS, 129 (six with high honors and 44 with honors); and Maximo Estrella SHS, 82 graduates (five with high honors and 25 with honors).
At present, senior high schools in the city offer various academic tracks, namely, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, Accountancy, Business and Management, and Humanities and Social Science. Other tracks include Technical-Vocational-Livelihood, Sports, and Arts and Design.
