The outreach engagement of the Department of Economics has primarily been focused on training teachers. The activities aim to assist in the professional development of social science teachers tasked to teach high school and college economics. The Department Outreach Committee takes the lead in coordinating these events.
Activities normally include one or two plenary lectures on current developments and/or economic instruction. There are also small break-out sessions to allow closer interaction among participants. Some sessions are devoted for exercises to polish the analytical and technical skills of teachers. Others are used for detailed discussions of special topics. Faculty members from Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) regularly serve as resource persons. Occasionally, guest speakers are invited from government and non-government institutions.
Two recently passed laws provide stronger motivation for the Economics Department to continue its teacher-training outreach engagements. These are Republic Act 10922, “Economic and Financial Literacy Act”, and Republic Act 10912, “Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016”.