Public school teachers and staff across the country will gain access to free design tools and training on Canva for Education starting November. This initiative stems from a new partnership between the Department of Education (DepEd) and Canva Philippines.
Boosting Creativity and Collaboration in Classrooms
Education Secretary Sonny Angara signed a partnership agreement on Wednesday with Canva Philippines to roll out Canva for Education. This program aims to integrate digital design and creativity into Filipino classrooms, equipping teachers with user-friendly tools to create more interactive learning experiences.
Swift Action Brings Opportunity for 21st Century Learning
Secretary Angara was joined by Her Excellency HK Yu PSM, FCPA (Aust), Australian Ambassador to the Philippines, Ms. Yani Hornilla-Donato, Canva Philippines Country Lead, and Ms. Maisie Littaua, Marketing and Content & Discovery Lead of Canva Philippines during the signing ceremony.
Highlighting the program’s significance for modern education, Ambassador Yu applauded the swift action of Secretary Angara’s team in securing this partnership. “What I didn’t expect was how quickly it was going to happen under Secretary Angara’s leadership. It was literally only few months ago when he was first appointed that I called on him to emphasize how Australian government will continue to support in improving your education system,” Ambassador Yu remarked.
Canva for Education: Free Design Tools for All
Canva for Education is a comprehensive visual communication platform available entirely free for all K-12 schools, teachers, and students. This program empowers them to create, collaborate, and communicate through captivating visuals by unlocking all the benefits of Canva’s premium features.
“The President himself, in his SONA, emphasized the need for classrooms to become incubators of creativity and innovation,” Secretary Angara stated. “With this partnership, we’re building those incubators, fostering creativity one design at a time.
Phased Rollout and Access
The program will be implemented in phases. Initially, designated teachers and central office staff will undergo pilot training on using Canva’s design platform through their official DepEd emails. The rollout will then expand to include all 17 regions by January 2025.
Benefits for Teachers and Students
Through Canva for Education, teachers and students will have access to a vast library of free resources, including thousands of templates, interactive presentation tools, and design assets.
Partnership Fosters Digital and Design Literacy
Ms. Yani Hornilla-Donato, Canva Philippines Country Lead, expressed her enthusiasm about the collaboration: “Visual communication is fast becoming a must-have skill in today’s workplace, and it’s time for classrooms in the Philippines to fully embrace the power of digital and design literacy. Through our partnership with DepEd, we’re empowering teachers and students with the tools and technology they need to spark creativity and collaboration. We’re so excited for DepEd’s support in this rollout, and we can’t wait to see how this empowers Filipino teachers and students nationwide.”
Accessing Canva for Education
Public school teachers and staff can access Canva for Education for free by logging in to www.canva.com using their DepEd email addresses. For additional details regarding this initiative, please visit the dedicated DepEd Resource Hub on Canva at http://canvaph.com/deped-resourcehub.
