CdeO institutionalizes Education Innovation Week

The 21st City Council, in its regular session on Monday, presided over by Vice Mayor Bebot Rodriguez, enacted an ordinance institutionalizing the celebration of Education Innovation Week in Cagayan de Oro City every third week of November.

The measure establishes a recurring platform for local and national stakeholders to showcase innovative learning technologies, sustainable pedagogies, policy reforms, and inclusive programs aligned with the city’s education development goals and the national learning recovery agenda. It also supports the Safety, Security, and Human Development component of the City Government’s RISE Agenda, which places particular emphasis on education.

According to City Education Development Office Head Richel Petalcurin-Dahay, the week-long event will be the first trifocal celebration in the country involving the Department of Education (DepEd), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

It aims to highlight education innovations and collaborative efforts across all sectors, reinforcing Cagayan de Oro’s standing as a premier education hub that promotes partnerships among schools and attracts potential investors. The chosen schedule aligns with international education observances, underscoring the city’s commitment to global learning standards and sustainable educational practices.

Dahay added that institutionalizing the celebration ensures its sustainability and continuity beyond changes in administration. “By enacting it into law, the event becomes a program, not just an ad hoc initiative,” she emphasized.

The ordinance also serves as a policy declaration affirming the city’s dedication to innovation, inclusivity, and lifelong learning, marking a first in the Philippines to integrate the trifocal facets of education—technical-vocational, higher, and basic—through the establishment of an Education Advisory Council.

The legislation was sponsored by the committees on education and on laws and rules, respectively chaired by Councilors Moreno Y. Daba IV and Edgar S. Cabanlas. (JAO/SP)