Mirroring the transparency agenda of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Education (DepEd) under Secretary Sonny Angara is making education data more open, accessible, and actionable for all Filipinos. This initiative empowers parents, teachers, local governments, and the public to better understand the state of schools and learning in the country and to take part in building solutions.

At the center of this reform is the Paaralang Bukas Dashboard, a transparency portal that will give the public a clear view of school performance and needs. More than a database, it will serve as a bridge between government education investments and the people’s active participation in monitoring and improving learning outcomes.

Through the dashboard, users can access school-level learning results for both private and public schools, such as the Early Language, Literacy, and Numeracy Assessment (ELLNA) and the National Achievement Tests (NAT) for School Year 2023-2024. It will also feature key school characteristics for all public schools—enrollment numbers, facilities, utilities, maintenance spending, and other critical resources—making education governance more open than ever before.

“Ang datos ng ating mga paaralan ay dapat makita ng lahat, para sama-sama tayong makahanap ng solusyon at magbukas ng mas maraming oportunidad para sa kabataan,” Angara said.

DepEd Undersecretary for Strategic Management Ronald Mendoza said the initiative strengthens the department’s commitment to transparent governance of basic education. “The disclosure of information promotes accountability as reforms and investments of the government become open to the public for participation in monitoring and evaluation. This is also aligned with the Open Government Partnership’s mission, of which the Philippines is one of the founding members,” he said.

The Open Government Partnership is a global multi-stakeholder initiative that champions improved transparency, accountability, and responsiveness in governments.

DepEd’s open data effort will allow education stakeholders to better identify and respond to the needs of schools, learners, and teachers. For instance, resources and support can be directed to schools that visibly need an extra hand, whether in facilities, teaching materials, or improving performance in assessment tests.

“Through this dashboard, we intend to encourage not only transparency but collaboration among various stakeholders, reflecting our vision to be more responsive to the needs of the education sector, while building on foundations towards reform and global competitiveness,” said Usec. Mendoza.

DepEd, together with PH-Open Government Partnership, will launch the Paaralang Bukas Dashboard in August 2025, marking the first phase of data release for selected regions.