Secretary Jesse M. Robredo changed mindset, processes and values in the way public education is delivered. He made the system “bottom-up, transparent and participatory”. He emphasized the importance of measuring performance so that schools and public officials can be accountable to the people. He “Reinvented Local School Boards”, expanded their functions, and broadened their membership. He believed that people should be consulted on how budget should be spent. He exacted efficiency and honesty in public spending. He held school summits shocking parents on the poor learning performance of children. At the same time, he challenged them to work with him in providing them with the best education.Although there was a power outage during the first half of day one, the English Teachers’ Training held last June 7-8, 2013 was alive and buzzing with laughter. Up in the mountainous region of Itogon, Benguet, 164 participants composed of teachers, principals and DepEd supervisors listened attentively to the wonderful stories told by, expert storyteller, Prof. Shirley Equipado. It was as if the participants were transformed into young children when they started listening to her stories, feeling giddy and wearing huge grins.
