The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), in partnership with the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS), held a conference on Thursday for the final presentation of findings and recommendations from the UP President Edgardo J. Angara (UPPEJA) Fellows.
In September 2023, the UPPEJA Fellowship named 23 distinguished researchers to tackle urgent issues that align with EDCOM 2’s Priority Areas.
Named after the late UP President Edgardo J. Angara, UPPEJA is a grant dedicated to groundbreaking policy research. The fellowship honors Angara’s commitment to education reform and has become a key platform for scholars aiming to drive meaningful change in the Philippine education system.
In his opening remarks, Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara, underscored the importance of the fellowship’s contributions to helping education reform. “We hope to gain more insights on what reforms can be made so our school administrators and teachers can meaningfully take charge and be accountable for the quality of instruction they offer our students”, Angara said.
“We look forward to hearing about the innovative ways our schools and our citizens can help with improving education governance across the country; and we anticipate some new learnings about how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence can play in addressing some of our resource gaps”, he continued.
EDCOM 2 Co-Chair Senator Sherwin Gatchalian acknowledged the contribution of the Fellows to the Commission’s mission. “I thank UP CIDS, our fellows and all the partners who opened up their doors for us and helped us come up with very important evidence-based recommendations for our education reform”, he said.
Decentralization and access to education
One of the central themes that emerged from the research was decentralizing the education sector to enhance responsiveness. Dr. Maria Regina Hechanova Alampay articulated this by describing the current system as “like an inverted triangle — napakaraming tao sa taas o sa central, pero kaunti sa local at on the ground.” The researchers recommended increased autonomy for local governments to foster innovation and ensure that education systems on the ground are more adaptive to local contexts.
In addition to decentralization, the conference also tackled issues surrounding access to education, both at the basic and tertiary levels. Associate Professor Geoffrey Ducanes called for a socialized tuition scheme as an alternative to the current Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA). In a socialized tuition scheme, fees would be based on a student’s capacity to pay, and stipends would be provided to students from low-income households.
“If only the bottom 70% of households in terms of income were exempted from tuition, the government could save about Php 9.13 billion, which could then be redirected to other educational programs,” Ducanes said.
Industry linkages and lifelong learning
National Scientist Carmencita Padilla’s research studied the human resource issues within the healthcare sector. Analyzing data from the Department of Health and comparing it with the healthcare professional graduates produced by higher education institutions, Dr. Padilla raised that collaboration opportunities between the academe and industries will be crucial in equipping graduates with the skills and knowledge required in the workforce, particularly in key sectors such as healthcare.
TVET and lifelong learning was another focus area the fellows discussed. Research by Carolyn Medel-Añonuevo, former Education Head at the UNESCO Regional Office for South Africa, highlighted the need for the integration of lifelong learning in the national development plan. She called for a comprehensive framework that promotes continuous education and skills development policy that would support the upskilling and reskilling of the workforce, ensuring that individuals can adapt to technological advancements and changing industry requirements.
“As we move towards that ultimate objective of lifelong learning, merong mga little steps in order for us to get there. Pero sana, we still do not lose sight of the fact that many of our learners are still struggling. And the most essential and important thing is that we help them get that reading comprehension and basic numeracy skills. May baby steps talaga along the way, pero we will get there.” EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo said.
All UPPEJA research papers will be published gradually and will be available for download on the EDCOM 2 website – www.edcom2.gov.ph.
