The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) Commissioners (EDCOM 2) Commissioners Senators Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian, Alan Peter Cayetano, Koko Pimentel III, and Joel Villanueva filed Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 21 today, urging President Marcos to create a cabinet cluster for education.
“This concurrent resolution filed with my fellow EDCOM 2 commissioners echoes the immediate need to have a cohesive and coherent implementation of education laws, policies, reforms, and regulations. We need to make sure that everyone in government is on the same page and headed in the same direction, especially as we seek to reverse the country’s education crisis,” says EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Senator Gatchalian.
In its Year 1 Report, EDCOM 2 highlighted other critical areas of coordination that still need to be completed, including the developing plans and setting targets for the education sector as a whole, monitoring targets for learning outcomes, designing pathways through key stages, as well as overall manpower development for the Philippine Education System, among others.
“With the education crisis that the Philippines is currently facing, there is no time to waste. For decades, our education agencies have been working in silos, with no coordinating body providing oversight. Now that we see its impacts, we must all be accountable to fix our education system,” says EDCOM 2 Commissioner Senator Pimentel III.
Similar with the House Concurrent Resolution No. 28 filed by EDCOM 2 Commissioners at the House of Representatives last July 16, the proposed cabinet cluster is composed of the Early Childhood Care and Development Council, the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the Department of Labor and Employment, and with support from the Department of Budget and Management.
EDCOM 2 Commissioner Senator Alan Cayetano, also Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education Chairperson, particularly emphasized the need to ensure operationalization of the proposed cabinet cluster. “We proposed that these education agencies be headed by an existing cabinet member with a direct stake in education, and be supported by the Department of Budget and Management to ensure necessary operational funding. With the support of the DBM, we can guarantee that these agencies have the financial resources required to effectively execute their mandates.”
“The lack of coordination within the trifocalized education system poses a significant challenge to the effective implementation of crucial education laws, such as the Philippine Qualifications Framework Act and the Ladderized Education Act. These laws are designed to establish equivalency pathways for seamless progression across all levels of education in the country and to improve employability and mobility of Filipino workers,” adds EDCOM 2 Commissioner Senator Villanueva, also Senate Committee Chair on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development.
