PNU Awards Honoris Causa to DepEd Sec. Br. Luistro

The Philippine Normal University, in its 107th Commencement Exercises, will award its Guest of Honor and Speaker DepEd Sec. Br. Armin A. Luistro the Honoris Causa title for his invaluable dedication and commitment to education. He remains an inspiration to the youth and his virtues continue to emulate them as they take the path to greatness.

The DepEd Secretary was a product of De La Salle Lipa from elementary to high school. In 1981, he graduated fromDe La Salle University(DLSU) with a degree in Philosophy and Letters. In 1985, he earned units for a certificate program from the Formation Institute for Religious Educators atthe Ateneo de Manila University(ADMU). In 1993, he completed his Masters Degree in Religious Education and Values Education from DLSU. He was first awarded Honoris Causa, Doctor of Humane Letters, at La Salle University in Philadelphia,USAin May 2004. Just recently, or in April 2014, he was also granted an Honoris Causa, Doctor of Education, at Saint Marys College of California, USA.

He started teaching as a religion teacher at De La Salle Lipa in 1983, and then he moved toLa Salle Greenhillsin 1986.

On August 26, 2000, Br. Luistro co-founded the De La Salle Catholic University of Manado, currently known as De La Salle University, in Indonesia with Josef Suwatan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Manado.

On April 2004, he succeeded Br. Andrew Gonzalez as the President of De La Salle University System, consequently making him the president of eight De La Salle institutions. In his inaugural speech, he acknowledged the "multiversity" concept of Br. Gonzalez who established the system. In which structure, DLSU served as the flagship while other De La Salle institutions specialized in fields likeagriculture,alternative educationandmedicine.

In acknowledgement of his efforts and contributions in education, Bro. Luistro was appointed Secretary of the Department of Education in 2010 by President Benigno Aquino III. He is one of the prime movers of the K-12 Basic Education Program in the Philippines. The program seeks to add two years to the current 10-yearbasic educationcurriculum, and makes graduates more competitive. Aside from his K - 12 contributions in the education sector, his reforms also include forging partnerships with different Local Government Units (LGUs) and corporations to solve the congestion, zoning, and lack of urban planning in education. Among the Departments programs involve the use of technology and developing the curriculum in order to address the aforementioned problems.

The PNUs 107th Commencement Exercises will be on April 8, 2015 at the PNU Quadrangle.