NAVOTAS City Mayor John Rey Tiangco on Wednesday announced that the local government has once again earned the Seal of Good Education Governance (SGEG), marking the fifth time it has received the recognition for improving education outcomes and strengthening local education governance. Synergeia Foundation's SGEG award is conferred to local governments that have reinvented the local school board, involved the community in helping children learn well and maintained high retention and cohort survival rates. Also, the recognition is for local government units (LGUs) that have significantly reduced the number of non- and frustrated readers, and funded programs that enhance learning performance, particularly reading competencies. Navotas Schools Division Superintendent Meliton Zurbano accepted the award alongside school officials during the 2026 National Educational Summit. Only three LGUs in the National Capital Region (NCR) were granted the distinction this year. Tiangco credited the recognition to the strong partnership among the local government, schools, parents and community stakeholders. “This recognition affirms that when the local government, schools, and families work together, we can create meaningful improvements in our children’s education. We remain committed to investing in programs that strengthen literacy, support teachers, and help every Navoteño learner succeed,” he said. One of the city’s key initiatives is strengthening parental involvement in education, the local chief executive said. Together with long-time partner and Local School Board member Food for the Hungry, parent leaders organized and completed the Aug. 15–16, 2025 Project APAT Training of Trainers at Navotas Elementary School, he said. Project APAT, or “Ang Paaralan sa Aming Tahanan,” promotes the home as an extension of the school by empowering parents to guide and support their children’s learning, according to the local government. The training had equipped parent leaders with the skills and values needed to serve as facilitators in their respective schools. Through strong collaboration with the local Schools Division, the city has recorded notable gains in student performance, according to the mayor. Navotas was cited by the Senate Committee on Basic Education for having the highest number of grade-level-ready learners based on the End of School Year results of the Comprehensive Reading Literacy Assessment for School Year 2024–2025, Tiangco said. The city also ranked first among 16 NCR school divisions in the National Achievement Test for Grade 6 (SY 2024–2025). In addition, Navotas posted the lowest dropout rate at 0.02 percent and the lowest repetition rate at 0.29 percent in the region, he added.