THE Annual Educators' Congress (Aecon) 2023 attracted over 20,000 education thought leaders, policymakers and practitioners to convene for the two-day online event. Under the banner 'Learning Recovery to Learning Resilience,' the congress discussed emerging education topics and trends, highlighting the efforts toward learning resilience.

Aecon endeavored to support the Department of Education's objective of expanding the knowledge base of learning recovery by fostering resilience among learners and education ecosystems. Drawing inspiration from the agency's 2030 Basic Education Development Plan (BEDP), the event touched on themes of quality and inclusive education, learner empowerment, and positive learning environments.

'In a sense, this is an affirmation for us that what we are doing contributes to larger nationwide goals,' said Don Timothy Buhain, CEO of Rex Education, in his opening speech. 'This fuels us to be more eager and willing contributors — a feeling and sentiment we wish to share with all of you.'

Aecon 2023 invited renowned local and international speakers across different disciplines. The keynote address was delivered by Gina Gonong, DepEd's undersecretary for curriculum and teaching. The plenary sessions featured talks by Dr. Yolanda Quijano, chief of party of Project Gabay; Dr. Alison Atwell, an international whole school improvement consultant; and Dr. Amy Berry, an international education consultant and author. Rita Atienza, director of the Ateneo Teacher Center, facilitated the Q&A segments. The congress formally concluded with a synthesis session from Dr. Jerome Buenviaje, dean of the College of Education, University of the Philippines Diliman.

Over the years, Aecon has served as a testament to Rex Education's commitment of service to the public and the country. 'The worst may have been behind us, but the journey to learning recovery and learning resilience is far from over. And what a joy to have you all as traveling companions,' Buhain said of Aecon attendees, whom he addressed as Edukampyons, or champions of education.