Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte said on Wednesday that SM Supermalls would accept graduates of K to 12 as employees based on her recent meeting with its officials.

“Napag-usapan din namin ang posibleng partnership ng Department of Education (DepEd) sa SM Supermalls upang ang mga mag-aaral ng K (to) 12 ay pwedeng magkaroon ng immersion at ang pagkakataong mag-empleyo sa kanilang mga establisyemento (We discussed a possible partnership of the Department of Education and SM Supermalls to have an immersion for K to 12 learners and a chance to employ them),” Duterte said in a post on her Facebook account.

“Masaya ako na ibinalita nila na sila ay tumatanggap ng mga empleyado na gradweyt ng K (to) 12. Inanyayahan rin natin sila na makilahok sa ginagawang review ng curriculum ng K (to) 12 (I am happy to be informed that they are accepting K to 12 graduates as their employees. We are also inviting them to participate in the ongoing review of the K to 12 curriculum).”

She said the SM Supermalls officials, led by Hannah Sy, are planning to launch a Spelling Bee competition for learners, both from public and private schools.

The competition, she said, aims to revive the interest of children on spelling, which is important in communication in this digital age.

Duterte reiterated that DepEd remains open to any partnership that could improve the quality of education in the country. (PNA)