Marcos: Changes in education curriculum, strengthened spending for development to drive PH forward

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 27) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the government's push for innovation by way of a revamped curriculum and bolstered spending will help propel the country forward.

Marcos made the statement in his speech at the launch of the National Innovation Agenda Strategy Document (NIASD) 2023-2032, which the National Economic and Development Authority says is "a document that contains the country’s vision and long-term goals for innovation."

Marcos said the NIASD was not just a document, but a commitment to make innovation part of the country's development agenda.

He said education and the academe were among the drivers of innovation.

"We shall reform our education curriculum design and learning platforms to develop the creativity, curiosity, problem solving skills and entrepreneurial abilities of Filipinos for the 21st century," Marcos said.

He called the academe "incubators of talent, skills, and ideas" that would shape the future.

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The president added that similar attention will be given to areas that would further boost the economy.

"We shall bolster spending for research and development, support local enterprises, ensure food security through smart agricultural inputs to empower local producers, facilitate efficient and secure financial services, accelerate digitalization efforts to boost manufacturing processes and commercialization of products and services, improved mobility through better urban-rural linkages and reduce carbon footprints of our transport systems," he said.

Filipinos, Marcos said, will match the investments being made by the government as they will help fuel the drive towards innovation.

The president also called on foreign partners for collaboration.

"Let us join hands to advance our shared positive development goals," he said. "Let us foster unity not only here in our country but also across the globe through the transformative power of innovation."