An advocacy group on Thursday, May 27 commended the committee approval of House Joint Resolutions which aims to create a Congressional Oversight Committee on Education or EdCom.

For the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), the Joint Congressional approval on convening an EdCom will be very crucial in addressing the learning crisis in the country.

“We think this is important and timely,” said PBEd Executive Director Love Basillote. “We see increasing risk of our children’s learning outcomes and futures being stunted if we do not do something about this,” she added.

During a joint meeting, the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture and Committee on Higher and Technical Education tackled said resolutions.

The EdCom, PBEd explained, is “mandated to undertake national review and assessment of education agencies and recommend education reforms.”

PBEd has consistently called for the immediate convening of a multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder EdCom to address the learning crisis. “We are committed to work with Congress to make this endeavor a success,” Basillote said.

In its position paper, PBEd mentioned that the organization and the private sector have committed to support the EdCom by lending its expertise on education quality, education financing, public-private sector complementarity, industry-academe linkage, skills development and training, and digital transformation in education.

With equal participation from the government, academe, civil society and interest groups, PBEd said that the EdCom will set “systemic and strategic long-term policy recommendations to address deep seated problems and to chart the direction for Philippine education.”