The Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) sounded the alarm Thursday on the ongoing learning crisis in the country and urged the government as well as other stakeholders to come up with a “comprehensive set” of reforms in order to address the challenges that confront the education system.
“We are now sounding the alarm. The Philippine government must take the lead in drawing up and implementing plans for an education system that Filipino learners deserve,” PBEd chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr. said.
“We ask our leaders to make education a top priority, and for other stakeholders in the education sector to work together in stemming this crisis,” he added.
In an online press conference, the advocacy group said that the country is currently facing a “learning crisis” and outlined urgent recommendations to reform the education system.
“With a learning crisis on our hands and the future of millions of Filipinos at stake, what we need now is a strong, multi-sectoral coalition that will push for education reforms and ensure that quality education becomes a top priority in the national development agenda,” Del Rosario said.
Among the recommendations by PBEd include include addressing stunting and malnutrition among school children through the implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition; higher budget for education; an establishment of an autonomous assessment agency; the creation of a National Teacher Education Scholarship program; and a stronger implementation of mother tongue-based multilingual education.
PBEd also emphasized the need for an Education Commission (EdCom) to be reconvened within the year to set the vision for Philippine education and address long-term problems in the sector.
The 2021 EdCom, PBEd said, should be “a multisectoral body with representation from the legislature, private sector, civil society, parents’ association, the youth, school teachers and school leaders, and it should be supported by a competent and objective secretariat.” It should also address long-term challenges like education governance, teacher quality, technology in education, and competitiveness, it added.
Del Rosario noted that the education crisis should be looked at using different perspectives. “We need to see the bigger picture and implement reforms in crucial areas that determine the quality of education that we provide to our students,” he added.
The urgent call to action for the education reforms comes after a series of international assessments that ranked “Filipino students among the lowest in the world” in terms of science, mathematics, and reading competency.