DR. DEXTER A. GALBAN
Senior Public Sector Executive | Education, Health & AI Systems Builder
DOING GOOD. DRIVING GROWTH.
DepEd Advances AI Integration in Classrooms Under Project AGAP.AI
GovMedia Summit | March 17, 2026
The Department of Education (DepEd) is advancing the use of artificial intelligence in basic education through Project AGAP.AI, including a national AI training programme launched in January, according to Dexter Galban, Assistant Secretary for Strategic Management at DepEd, at the GovMedia Summit 2026 on 17 March.
Project AGAP AI aims to help students and teachers in the Philippines use AI through curriculum development, teacher training, and school tools. The programme aims to reach 1.6 million people, including 1 million students, 300,000 teachers, and 250,000 parents, through a pilot national AI training program in cooperation with the ASEAN Foundation, Google.org, MIT RAISE, Day of AI, UNILAB Foundation, and UP NISMED.
The Philippines' AI Crossroads
The Financial District | March 2, 2026
The roadmap proposes a four-part governance model spanning education, engineering, enforcement, and ethics. It reframes AI as a national development issue rather than a narrow technology upgrade.
Education is positioned as the foundation. Beyond student curriculum reform, the report calls for parent and teacher capacitation and a coordinated national AI literacy and fluency program. DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban confirmed that an AI-ready curriculum is expected by the first quarter of 2026 under Project AGAP AI. The longer-term ambition is to move Filipinos from passive consumption to globally competitive creation.
A Roadmap to Transform the Country from ‘Fast AI Adopters’ to ‘Sovereign Builders’
Manila Bulletin | February 23, 2026
The roadmap addresses a critical national vulnerability identified in the Grassroots Perspectives report: the Philippines is a "high-usage, low-readiness" environment. While 86% of Filipino knowledge workers use AI, exceeding global averages, the country lacks the institutional ecosystem to scale these experiments.
Validating the report’s Education pillar, DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban aligned the framework with Project AGAP AI (Accelerating Governance and Adaptive Pedagogy through AI). He confirmed that an AI-ready curriculum is expected by Q1 2026.
DepEd Calls Communities to Accelerate Learning Recovery Through ARAL Program
Philippine Information Agency | September 18, 2025
The Department of Education (DepEd) is rallying communities, local governments, and education stakeholders to intensify their support for learning recovery efforts through its Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program.
DepEd Assistant Secretary for Strategic Management Dexter Galban, along with other key officials, led the ceremonial rollout, urging all sectors to act with compassion and shared responsibility to address learning gaps, particularly those worsened by recent educational disruptions. “This program is a call to serve with compassion. It is our duty to ensure that every learner not only learns but thrives,” Galban emphasized.
DepEd Slams Bullying in Schools; Pushes Safe Spaces for Students
Philippine News Agency | April 12, 2025
At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, DepEd Assistant Secretary for Operations Dexter Galban said about 1,314 cases of campus violence had been recorded from Nov. 24, 2022 to April 7, 2025, half of which were committed by a learner.
The DepEd said it regularly conducts a comprehensive assessment to ensure child protection committees in schools are active and effective. In addition, DepEd expands mental health services in schools and revises the implementing rules and regulations of the Anti-Bullying Act and Safe Spaces Act to address modern challenges, such as online harassment and peer violence.
DepEd Boosts Anti-Bullying Framework, Launches New Protection Measures
Philippine News Agency | April 8, 2025
Following a series of highly publicized campus violence incidents, including cyberbullying and physical assaults among students, DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban, during a Senate hearing, unveiled a broader strategy to prevent, report, and respond to abuse in the basic education sector. Among the centerpiece initiatives is the Child Protection Specialization Course, which aims to equip school personnel with the necessary knowledge, skills, and shift in attitudinal orientation to manage learner protection concerns more effectively.
This course is part of a larger plan to assign dedicated Child Protection Specialists in all regional and school division offices. Each school is also expected to have at least one trained and permanent child protection officer. “These efforts are part of our broader mission to create a learning environment where every child feels safe, supported, and respected,” Galban, who oversees learner support services, said. Galban also revealed a plan to establish a learner ‘telesafe’ platform in every region, targeted to provide faster, real-time responses to reports of abuse or violence while being sensitive to the language and cultural context of each community.
Sen. Hontiveros Calls for Collaborative Effort to Address Out-of-School Youth Pregnancies
BusinessMirror | January 28, 2025
During the inquiry of the Committee on Basic Education on Tuesday, Assistant Secretary Dexter A. Galban admitted that they can only monitor incidents of teenage pregnancy of “those that are within the school premises.” “So out of school youth, teenage pregnancies on that regard, we might not be able to provide direct intervention if they are not part of the basic education system,” Galban said. Hontiveros then thanked Galban for mentioning the issue on OSY.
In terms of the implementation of the Department Order 31 S.2018, Galban admitted that the initial challenge is the familiarity of teachers when it comes to the content. Galban also emphasized that DepEd prioritizes the specialized training of CSE for the teachers that are handling the older demographics, particularly those handling the adolescent age bracket, as intended to by law.
International Conference Spotlights Sustainable Agri-Biodiversity, Food Security
BusinessMirror | January 17, 2025
Keynote speeches and conference messages were delivered by Dr. Bunthan Ngo, rector of the Royal University of Agriculture; Dr. Lyda Hok, Center director of CE SAIN; Dr. Glenn Gregorio, Searca Center director; and Dr. Dexter Galban, Assistant Secretary of the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd).
Galban underscored the importance of cultural sensitivity in meal planning, highlighting strategies, such as incorporating indigenous foods and recognizing local agricultural diversity. He said that DepEd employs a multifaceted approach to impart agricultural knowledge and develop future farming leaders in its educational programs, and reinforces the link between school gardens, nutrition, and sustainable communities.
A Village Feeding a Child
Inquirer Business | January 10, 2025
In our five conversations with DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban, we were very impressed by his competence. He is a medical doctor with a nursing degree and two master’s degrees in both business and public management. He is happy working with WFP and states that the key challenge now is to mobilize the community to provide the food for the program.
Galban hopes that the DA and LGU agriculture extension workers will organize the farmers and fisherfolk to meet this challenge. He added that the LGUs are the most important factor in achieving the economic mobilization of government agencies and private sector partners to make this program a catalyst for economic development.
Government Collaboration to Boost HPV Vaccination Rates in Schools
BusinessMirror | December 20, 2024
DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban reaffirmed the education department’s commitment to student well-being through its school-based immunization programs. “Through our vaccination program, we aim to protect learners and their families, regardless of their location—be it in the city or the province,”
Galban said. As part of its efforts, DepEd launched the Bakuna Eskwela campaign to promote awareness about HPV vaccination and encourage greater participation. “We call on all families to support Bakuna Eskwela to ensure that learners, especially young women, are protected from cervical cancer,” Galban urged. DepEd also integrates the Child and Adolescent Reproductive Health Program with the Wash in Schools Program, providing accessible health services at over 1,000 school-based centers. Galban noted that these initiatives empower students and families to make informed health decisions.
Government Collaboration to Boost HPV Vaccination Rates in Schools
Inquirer Global | December 17, 2024
DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban reaffirmed the education department’s commitment to student well-being through its school-based immunization programs. “Through our vaccination program, we aim to protect learners and their families, regardless of their location—be it in the city or the province,” Galban said.
As part of its efforts, DepEd launched the Bakuna Eskwela campaign to promote awareness about HPV vaccination and encourage greater participation. “We call on all families to support Bakuna Eskwela to ensure that learners, especially young women, are protected from cervical cancer,” Galban urged. DepEd also integrates the Child and Adolescent Reproductive Health Program with the Wash in Schools Program, providing accessible health services at over 1,000 school-based centers. Galban noted that these initiatives empower students and families to make informed health decisions.
DA Must Help in DepEd Feeding Program
Inquirer Business | December 7, 2024
If the Department of Agriculture (DA) significantly increases its involvement with the Department of Education’s (DepEd) school feeding program on a national scale, the improvement of our currently dismal education levels will be attained. This was the conclusion reached last Dec. 2 at a meeting organized by ADMU 616569 Foundation with DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban and his school-feeding program team.
The ADMU 616569 Foundation has spent more than P10 million to feed at least 3.5 million schoolchildren. Since they had worked with others successfully in lobbying for a much larger feeding program budget, they wished to contribute action recommendations based on their experiences through the years. In a meeting with Galban last year, they discussed findings from Ateneo de Manila University and Xavier University, both members of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
DepEd Calls on Barangays to Intensify Drive vs. Vaping, Smoking of Students
Romblon News | October 16, 2024
In March 2024, DepEd further intensified its efforts to end vaping within school premises, including a ban on the sale and promotion of the product within a 100-meter radius of the schools. The programs were rolled out in compliance with DepEd Order 14 and DepEd Memorandum 111, which prohibits using cigarettes and vapes in schools.
In a television interview with People’s Television Network last March, Education Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban said the DepEd will collaborate with other government agencies to ensure strict compliance with the ban. “Makikipagtulungan tayo sa kada ahensya ng pamahalaan, lalung-lalo na sa lokal na pamahalaan para masigurado natin na hindi na magiging available itong mga ito sa ating mga mag-aaral,” Galban said.
P7.9-Billion Budget to Ramp Up School-Based Vaccine Approved
BusinessMirror | September 17, 2024
Herbosa underscored the importance of school-based immunization as he recently met with Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara to discuss “areas of collaboration.” Herbosa and Angara also discussed nutrition and mental health. Department of Education (DepEd) Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban was also present during the meeting on September 12.
The health chief proposed efforts to improve feeding programs especially for those diagnosed with malnutrition. For mental health, Herbosa cited the importance of creating emotional resilience in youth through arts, sports, and other activities. The two agencies also agreed to continue working towards the goals of the Oplan Kalusugan sa DepEd Healthy Learning Institutions (OKD-HLI). OKD-HLI is an interagency effort aimed towards strengthening school health under the basic education sector.
DepEd Working on COA Report Amid More Calls for VP to Explain
Philippine Daily Inquirer | September 5, 2024
The Department of Education (DepEd), now under Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, on Wednesday, clarified that the report of the Commission on Audit (COA) on the agency was still subject to compliance and efforts are underway to do so at the soonest possible time. Dexter Galban, the DepEd assistant secretary for operations, noted that the consolidated annual audit report (CAAR) that was provided to them by state auditors was still “open.”
Galban also clarified the observation by the COA on the P5.69-billion School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP), where auditors found out that the nutribuns intended for distribution to public school students were moldy, while milks were either spoiled or had not been delivered at all in some Schools Division Offices (SDO). He said that 192 out of 218 SDOs nationwide, or 88 percent, were able to complete the SBFP “without any delays or concerns.” Of the 26 SDOs identified in the audit report, Galban said 16 have already been “deemed closed and resolved, bringing to 208 the total number of SDOs whose SBFPs were “deemed successfully implemented by the COA.” “The remaining 10 SDOs are expected to provide us with a full report within the week [and are] expected to be closed and resolved as well,” he said.
DepEd Struggles to Fill Over 4K Vacant Guidance Counselor Positions
Philippine Star | July 4, 2024
The latest government data show that there are 4,460 vacancies for guidance counselor positions nationwide as of March 2024, far outnumbering the 251 graduates of Masters in Guidance and Counseling programs from 2018 to 2021. This is because the guidance and counseling profession's high standards in comparison to its pay have made it an "unappealing" choice for students, said Dexter Galban, DepEd assistant secretary for operations, in a meeting with EDCOM 2.
“Probably we have to go beyond the promotion of MA [in Guidance Counselors], because the profession itself is becoming unappealing in light of its current status and salary grade," Galban said. "We need to start from there, alongside the human resources that we need to address the problem."
AI, Tech Jobs Easing Out Traditional Work
Asia News Network | June 27, 2024
Department of Education Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban said they are striving to meet the digital specialization demands which have “catapulted” in the last few years. “We cannot expect our learners from the get-go would already be experts on the matter. That’s why we want to be able to supplement that with learning opportunities that are actually coming from the industries as well,” Galban said.
“Right now we’re really exerting much effort ensuring that our [Grades] 11 and 12, which is basically our terminal aspect of the K-12 program, would be severely enhanced, extremely enhanced so that we would be able to update what the industry demands because the timeframe for that is much shorter,” Galban added.
DepEd Eyes New Learning Model to Boost Mental Health Program
Philippine Daily Inquirer | June 18, 2024
The Department of Education (DepEd) is looking into enhancing its mental health programs in the K-12 curriculum by integrating a learning model on emotional and social competencies that Filipino students need before they join the workforce. Called the Filipino Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) competency framework, the model was developed by ChildFund Philippines, a nongovernmental organization (NGO).
“The SEL framework will serve as a blueprint right now in terms of not only the curricular aspect, but also the support services rendered to schools. More so now that we are rapidly expanding our mental health program intended to address not only bullying, which is only a small issue in the greater discussion of mental health,” Education Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban explained in an interview.
DepEd Intensifies Lessons vs. Vape, Tobacco in New K-10 Curriculum
GMA News | June 14, 2024
Amid the reported rise in vaping among the youth, the Department of Education (DepEd) has reinforced lessons on the negative effects of tobacco use, as well as e-cigarettes or vape products, in the revised Kindergarten to Grade 10 (K-10) curriculum. DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban on Friday said that while the concept of tobacco and vape control was already alluded to and integrated in the old curriculum, the department now seeks to make the youth more aware of the emerging dangers of using vape and tobacco products.
In the MATATAG K-10 curriculum, Galban said that topics on vape and tobacco will be incorporated in different subjects, especially in the health components. "This is also alluded to in terms of the financial aspect, particularly because it's very expensive to be dependent on any substance. That's why there are healthier coping mechanisms that are highlighted," he said. "We present that these are the dangers. But at the same time, we complement that by presenting what are the better alternatives for your mental health and well-being— whether that be counseling, whether that be engaging in sports, whether that be being part of a social civic movement for development," he continued.
DepEd to Expand Program to Combat Harmful Vices Among Learners
Manila Bulletin | June 14, 2024
“We have to make them realize that these substances can cause more harm than good,” DepEd Assistant Secretary for Operations Dr. Dexter Galban said during the second day of the “Engaging Media for Health Literacy” conference organized by the Department of Health (DOH) - Health Promotion Bureau. With the prevalence of vaping among learners, Galban underscored the importance of making learners, who are using vape products, realize that there are “better coping mechanisms” available for them.
Deemed as among the successful student-led initiatives in schools, Galban said that DepEd will be expanding the existing “Barkada Kontra Droga Plus” program into “Barkada Kontra Bisyo.” This, he explained, will cover not just substance abuse and dependence but also other potentially harmful vices that can lead to addiction such as tobacco and vape use, alcohol drinking, and even excessive gaming.
DepEd reminds youth: Vaping not a necessity nor an accessory
GMA News | May 15, 2024
The Department of Education (DepEd) is urging the Filipino youth not to consider electronic cigarettes or vapor products a necessity or an accessory. Aside from having a variety of flavors, e-cigarettes, and vapes are marketed by the industry as a healthy and safer alternative to traditional tobacco products or smoking.
The approach of the industry is to convert our young people into replacing smokers. So you can now find learners and students who are saying that they are nonsmokers, but they are vapers, but at the same time, both are incredibly dangerous to their well-being. It does not remove the fact that they become very substance dependent," DepEd Assistant Secretary Dr. Dexter Galban said in an interview with GMA News Online.
DepEd Intensifies Vaping Ban Implementation in Schools
Philippine News Agency | March 21, 2024
The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday said it has intensified its efforts to end vaping within school premises, including prohibiting the selling and promotion of the product within a school's 100-meter radius. In a television interview with People's Television Network, Education Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban said the DepEd will collaborate with other government agencies to ensure strict compliance with the ban. "Patuloy po naming pinapalakas ang implementasyon ng aming mga programa. Mula Barkada Kontra Droga na naging Barkada Kontra Bisyo, (We are intensifying the implementation of our programs. From Friends versus Drugs that became Friends versus v Vices), integrating it to our mental health program," he said.
The programs were launched in adherence to DepEd Order 14 and DepEd Memorandum 111, which prohibits the use of cigarettes and vapes in schools. "Gumawa rin kami ng task force, na pinangungunahan mismo ng mga kabataan, ng ating mga learners na magiging (We also created a task force, led by the youth, our learners who will serve as) watchdogs," Galban added.
DepEd Expands Feeding Program from 120 Days to Full School Year
Philippine Star | January 25, 2024
The Department of Education will expand its school-based feeding program next school year, providing free meals to students for the entire academic calendar (220 days) for the first time. The expanded feeding program will also bring back the provision of hot meals and increase the distribution of nutritional milk products, DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban said during the launch of the department’s school-based feeding program. Funding for DepEd’s school-based feeding program doubled in 2024, going up to a record high of P11.7 billion from the previous year’s P5.6 billion.
The higher funding for this year, Galban said, is meant to retain the positive gains of the school-based feeding program even during school breaks. “Based on the feedback and insights from our learners on the school-based feeding program more than 57% said they felt more enthusiastic to be in school,” Galban said. Over 52% of students gained weight while 45% said they noticed an improvement in their health and wellbeing, Galban added.
DepEd Strengthens Efforts to Improve Socio-Emotional Support for Learners
Manila Bulletin | June 25, 2023
Recognizing the importance of providing socio-emotional support for learners, the Department of Education (DepEd) highlighted its directions and initiatives to help make learners more resilient and understand their mental health needs. Strengthening learner socio-emotional support was the main topic in the first episode of Research O’clock which started this month.
During the first episode, DepEd Assistant Secretary for Operations Dexter Galban noted the department’s efforts in recognizing socio-emotional skills as an integral part of learning and recovery. He mentioned initiatives such as the Career Guidance Program (CGP), National Drug Education Program (NDEP), Barkada Kontra Droga, Oplan Kalusugan (OK) sa DepEd, and Health Learning Institutions (HLI). “All of these efforts are intended to help make our learners more resilient, make them understand their mental health needs, and hopefully make them advocates for socio-emotional well-being amongst themselves and champions of such advocacy within their schools and their community,” Galban said.
