MANILA – The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday urged the country’s newly-elected leaders to prioritize education programs, just as it thanked the teachers who served in this year’s midterm elections.

In a statement, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said education programs should be at the “front and center” of everyone.

“We now have new senators, governors, mayors—some seasoned, some young and hungry, all stepping into the ring of public service. They come bearing the hopes of our people. But hope alone is not enough,” said Angara in a message delivered by his undersecretary in an event.

“The Midterm elections may be over, but the real work of nation-building continues. We encourage everyone to be an education champion,” he said.

Meanwhile, the education secretary lauded over 600,000 teachers and DepEd staff who were election workers.

“Our teachers once again proved to be frontliners of democracy. Their professionalism, calm under pressure, and deep sense of service are examples we can all learn from,” he said.

The DepEd earlier said it would strengthen the implementation of four summer programs in May to improve foundational skills of learners in all levels.

According to the agency, this includes the Bawat Bata Makababasa Program (BBMP), Literacy Remediation Program (LRP), Summer Academic Remedial Program, and Learning Camp (LC).

DepEd said the four programs would focus on targeted teaching, mobilization of volunteers, welfare of learners, and involvement of communities.