DepEd Memorandum 039, s. 2025
2025 National Schools Press Conference and National Festival of Talents
APR 25 2025
DepEd MEMORANDUM
No. 039, s. 2025
2025 NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE AND NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF TALENTS
To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau and Service Directors
Regional Directors
Minister, Basic, Higher and Technical Education, BARMM
Schools Division Superintendents
Public and Private School Heads
All Others Concerned
1. In line with the goal of delivering quality, relevant, inclusive, and responsive basic education and supporting the Department of Education's (DepEd) 5-Point Agenda, which ensures an enabling learning environment, the welfare of teachers, the well-being of learners, efficient learning delivery in all its forms, and a future-ready workforce, the Curriculum and Teaching (CT) Strand, through the Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD) and the Bureau of Learning Delivery (BLD), will conduct the 2025 National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) and NationalFestival of Talents (NFOT) in Region I on May 19-23, 2025 (exclusive of travel time).
2. With the theme, Empowering Filipino Youth: Unleashing Potentials in Journalism and Creative Industries in the Era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the 2025 NSPC and NFOT highlight the importance of equipping young Filipinos with the knowledge and skills to excel in journalism and various domains of creative industries, the role of AI in shaping these fields, and the need for the youth to adapt and innovate in this rapidly changing landscape.
3. The NSPC is an annual competition for campus journalists sponsored by DepEd pursuant to its mandate under Republic Act (RA) No. 7079 or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991. It provides an avenue for an enriching learning experience for learners interested in journalism as a career, promotes responsible journalism and fair and ethical use of various media, and enhances journalistic competence through healthy and friendly competitions.
On the other hand, the NFOT was first conducted as a culminating performance of learners pursuant to DepEd Order No. 26, s. 2010 (Calendar of School Events and Activities for SY 2010-2011). It was further institutionalized under DepEd Memorandum (DM) No. 42, s. 2012 (2012 National Festival of Talents) to provide learners with opportunities to showcase their knowledge and skills through exhibitions of products and performances as evidence of their learning. This activity aims to strengthen and upgrade the learners' level of competence and confidence in facing life challenges while also engaging teachers in parallel learning sessions to enhance their professional development.
4. The NSPC is a national culminating activity that reflects the teaching and training of journalism across schools, districts, divisions, and regions. It serves as a platform to demonstrate the importance of journalism through various journalistic endeavors, promote social consciousness and environmental awareness, offer enriching experiences for basic education learners pursuing journalism careers or leveraging campus journalism skills in other fields, advocate for responsible journalism and ethical social media use, and enhance journalistic competence through friendly competition.
5. The NFOT is an annual DepEd co-curricular activity that provides meaningful learning opportunities for basic education learners to showcase their talents and skills (best products and performances) as solid evidence of their learning across academic areas and inclusive and special curricular programs. It guides learners on which career path to take relevant to the four curriculum exits (higher education, middle-level skills development, entrepreneurship, and employment) of the Enhanced K to 12 Basic Education Program. As DepEd plays a crucial role in supporting local creatives and products, the NFOT contributes to the development of learners' competence in various domains of creative industries pursuant to RA 11904 (An Act Providing for the Development and Promotion of the Philippine Creative industries, and Appropriating Funds Therefor).
6. The NSPC and NFOT serve as culminating activities of gauging learning mastery and skill development in accordance with K to 12 curriculum learning standards and competencies, supporting the Department's goal of producing functionally literate and holistically developed Filipinos.
7. Participants in the NSPC are the top one regional winner per category, per medium for the individual categories, while for the group categories, one team per category, per level, per medium (composed of seven members for each team except for online publishing with five members). Other than the campus journalists, the additional list of NSPC official delegates is in the attached guidelines.
8. Participants in the NFOT are learners from public and private elementary and secondary schools who have previously won the Division Festival of Talents (DFOT) and the Regional Festival of Talents (RFOT). They will showcase their talents and skills and explore the culture of the host region. Along with their teacher-coaches, they will also benefit from invaluable insights shared by the invited panel of experts after their performances, thereby strengthening the teaching and learning of target learning competencies.
9. Participation in the NSPC and NFOT is voluntary and shall not, in any way, affect the time-on-task of teachers, as the target learning standards and competencies are already embedded in actual classroom teaching and assessment processes.
10. Since the activity falls on the end-of-school year break (EOSY), 7.5 days of Vacation Service Credits (VSC) shall be granted to all participating teacher-coaches who will complete their whole duration. However, for those who will not complete it, one hour of actual service rendered shall be equivalent to 1.5 hours of VSC. The granting of VSC shall be in accordance with DO 013, s. 2024, Revised Guidelines on the Grant of Vacation Service Credits for Teachers.
11. Should the school heads, chiefs of the curriculum implementation division (CID), assistant schools division superintendents, schools division superintendents, and other school/division/regional personnel wish to attend the 2025 NSPC and NFOT, their attendance shall be regarded as official business. However, they shall be responsible for making arrangements for their travel, meals, and board and lodging for the whole duration of their stay in !locos Sur, Region I.
12. To ensure the safety, health, and well-being of all NSPC and NFOT participants and delegates, strict observance of minimum health protocols shall be implemented within all activity premises.
13. Enclosure No. 1 provides the 2025 NSPC Implementing Guidelines, while Enclosure No. 2 contains the 2025 NFOT Implementing Guidelines.
14. There will be no registration fee for the 2025 NSPC and NFOT.
15. All eligible expenses relative to the conduct of the 2025 NSPC and NFOT are subject to the usual government accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
16. For the NSPC, travel and incidental expenses incurred by official delegates shall be covered by the school's maintenance and/or other operating expenses (MOOE), local/regional funds, Special Education Fund, or the School Campus Journalism Fund, and other sources as applicable. However, the travel expenses of learner-participants shall be subsidized by the Central Office and charged against the Development and Promotion of Campus Journalism (DPCJ) funds.
For the NFOT, travel and incidental expenses of learner-participants and teacher-coaches and program support funds (PSF) for the conduct of the DFOT and RFOT shall be charged to the 2025 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) Funds directly released to the regions while travel expenses of other official delegates and those from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) shall be charged to their local funds or other eligible fund sources.
If the travel expenses exceed the allocated funds for their region or division, the remaining costs shall be covered by available sources or local funds, subject to the usual government accounting and auditing rules and regulations. Separate guidelines on the utilization of PSF for the NSPC and NFOT shall be issued.
17. The host region and division shall provide meals to participants in their billeting schools, including kits, identification tags, contest materials, and other eligible supplies and materials necessary for the conduct of the different events of the 2025 NSPC and NFOT in accordance with the budget allocation. The first meal to be served shall be lunch on May 18, 2025, while the last meal shall be morning snacks on May 23, 2025. No pork meals shall be served to participants during these events.
18. All designated heads of the regional delegations are advised to coordinate closely with the host region and division regarding the details of their arrival and departure from the venue and ensure proper administrative arrangements with the concerned committees.
19. For inquiries or concerns, please contact:
National Schools Press Conference:
Bureau of Curriculum Development
through Mr. Ricardo G. Ador Dionisio or Ms. Roseta Comiso-Gallo
Supervising Education Program Specialists
Email Address: nspc@deped.gov.ph
Telephone Number: (02) 86365173
National Festival of Talents:
Bureau of Learning Delivery
through Ms. Marites Paiton-Romen or Mr. Denn Marc P. Alayon
Supervising Education Program Specialists
Email Address: nfot.bldsid@deped.gov.ph
Telephone Number: (02) 8637-4346
20. Immediate dissemination of this Memorandum is desired
(SGD) SONNY ANGARA
Secretary
Ends.:
As stated
References:
DepEd Order (Nos. 26, s. 2010 and 53, s. 2003)
DepEd Memorandum No. 023, s. 2023
To be indicated in the Perpetual Index
under the following subjects:
CELEBRATIONS AND FESTIVALS
CONTESTS
LANGUAGE
LEARNERS
PRIZES OR AWARDS
PROGRAMS
SCHOOLS
SECONDARY EDUCATION
(Enclosure No. 1 to DepEd Memorandum No. 039, s. 2025)
(Enclosure No. 2 to DepEd Memorandum No. 039, s. 2025)
A full copy of DepEd Memorandum No. 039, s. 2025 below:
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