This episode is part of a series on the exceptionally creative and resourceful ways educators around the world are teaching during the pandemic and getting students back on track.

Follow on Twitter:  @sparvell @MicrosoftEDU @bamradionetwork @Jonharper70bd

Related Resources – MicrosoftEDU:

Education Reimagined: Remote to Hybrid Learning

Alain Pascua is a proud product of public elementary education, having studied in Gerona North Central School in Tarlac. Raised by academicians, both his parents were public school teachers, who spent all their working years teaching in various public schools until their retirement. He then went to Mary Help of Christians Seminary in Binmaley, Pangasinan, where he studied classic secondary education. He has served the government in different capacities — as Executive Assistant in the Employees Compensation Commission, as Assistant Secretary of the National Anti-Poverty Commission or NAPC, and as Chief Political Affairs Officer of Senator Ping Lacson.

Upon the recommendation of Secretary Briones, then newly appointed head of DepEd – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte appointed him Undersecretary of the Department of Education, where he now supervises three major services with 8 divisions, one bureau with 3 divisions, and three other major divisions. These offices are: the Administrative Service with the Asset Management, Cash, Records and general Services Divisions under it; the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service; the Information and Communications Technology Service with the Solutions Development, Technology Infrastructure, and User Support Divisions and the newly created Educational Technology Unit, under it; the Bureau of Learner Support Services with the School Health, School Sports, and Youth Formation Divisions under it; the Education Facilities Division, the Baguio Teachers Camp, and the Central Security and Safety Office in its operational aspect.

When the COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the nation and the whole world, he and the entire Administration Strand—in cooperation and coordination with other offices outside his strand—were able to handle the DepEd Task Force Covid-19, the DepEd Commons, DepEd TV, DepEd Radio, DepEd TV Facebook, DepEd TV YouTube Channel and the DepEd Learning Management System, among others. These undertakings earned DepEd the citation Policymaker EdTech Champion. Unknown to DepEd, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) nominated it to the prestigious EdTech-centered non-government organization that is focused on the sustainable and evidence-driven role of technology in advancing quality education. In addition, DepEd TV was one of the Honorable Mentions under the Crisis and Conflict Response category at the same awards event.