The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) welcomed Quezon City as one of the 72 newly designated cities in the Global Network of Learning Cities.
This inclusion recognizes the city’s many efforts in promoting inclusive education from basic to higher education and fostering a culture of lifelong learning among its citizens through its public libraries, learning and development programs for various sectors, health and life skills education, and cultural and civic events, among others.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte takes pride in this achievement and reaffirms the administration’s commitment to champion initiatives that strengthen and modernize education across the city.
“In Quezon City, we believe that learning is not confined to classrooms alone. It happens across everyday spaces and throughout all stages of life, which is why we work to ensure that wherever our QCitizens are, they have equitable opportunities to develop their full potential,” Belmonte said.
“We stand with UNESCO in the belief that inclusive, excellent, and high-quality learning helps create and reinforce individual empowerment and social cohesion, alongside economic and cultural prosperity, forming the foundation for sustainable development,” the mayor added.
Since 2019, the city government has significantly strengthened its investment in education by scaling up system-wide support for public schools and learners.
This includes the provision of learning materials, classroom equipment, and ICT resources to all public schools, alongside expanded tutoring, scholarship, language, skills, and lifelong learning programs aimed at improving access, equity, and learning outcomes across all stages of education.
Quezon City Council presiding officer, Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, together with Majority Floor Leader Councilor Aly Medalla, pledged their commitment to advancing lifelong learning in the city through the continued enactment of essential ordinances and resolutions.
“We see it as our responsibility in the City Council to pass measures that expand educational access for our QCitizens. We acknowledge that it is through institutionalizing education programs that they can access better opportunities in the future,” Sotto emphasized.
“As Majority Floor Leader, I assure our QCitizens that we will continue to champion ordinances that strengthen quality education and support learning for all,” Medalla reaffirmed.
As a member of the global network, Quezon City will receive guidance and technical support to strengthen its efforts, as well as opportunities to collaborate with fellow members and experts in promoting lifelong learning.
With 425 member cities across 91 countries, the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities includes four cities from the Philippines: Balanga, Legazpi, Baguio, and Quezon City, the latter two being among the newest members of the network.
#LearningCities #ImALifelongLearner
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