The Philippines needs an education president to arrest the decline in its education system which is currently in crisis, a coalition of organizations and education experts said.

“We've been looking for an education president --- an administration and government leaders who are focused on education,” Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) President Chito B. Salazar said in his opening remarks during a brown bag session between the media and key education stakeholders and experts on Monday, Feb. 28.

Attended by former officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) including former Education Secretaries Br. Armin Luistro and Dr. Fe Hidalgo; former Undersecretaries Jesse Mateo and Dina Ocampo, among others, the event dubbed “Real Talk Lang: Edukasyon sa Eleksyon Media Brownbag Session” became an avenue to discuss pressing education concerns this election.

In crisis

Education Nation (EdNation), a coalition consisting of 34 member organizations and 21 education experts, said in a statement that the country’s education system is in crisis.

Before the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the coalition pointed out that the level of “learning was already low” --- where 70 percent of 10-year-olds could not read. Citing World Bank estimates, this figure is "now at 90 percent" amid the pandemic.

“This current learning loss situation threatens the country’s economic growth for years to come,” EdNation said.

Reform as priority

EdNation noted that as most 2022 national election candidates tout their post-pandemic recovery plans, education reform should be a priority.

To address the decline in the country’s education system, EdNation is pushing for a 10-point education reform agenda which has four key themes which include ensuring good education governance, a conducive learning environment, and facilitating the empowerment of teachers and schools, and high standards of learning for all.

“In order for the country to have a real leadership that is focused on education, it really needs an education nation --- a country that is equally focused and gives equal priority to the value and importance of education," Salazar added.

Education as an election concern

To push for the election of education leaders, the coalition launched BET (Boto sa Edukasyon at Trabaho) sa Balota initiative.

This initiative aims to inform the voters how “competent and dedicated” the candidates are in improving the quality of education for all Filipinos.

BET sa Balota researched, monitored, and evaluated the experience and campaign platforms of six presidential candidates: Leody de Guzman, Ping Lacson, Bongbong Marcos, Isko Moreno, Manny Pacquiao and Leni Robredo.

“Each candidate earns a point for every initiative, stance, and platform that aligns with the coalition's goal,” EdNation said.

Based on its latest monitoring, Vice President Robredo got the highest marks for making education her priority with her “comprehensive education platform.”

Meanwhile, EdNation said that Lacson and Moreno have been showing “improvements” based on its 10-point education reform agenda.

De Guzman and Pacquiao, on the other hand, are also “slowly” including in their platforms initiatives related to education.

Meanwhile, Marcos was marked as an “absentee” by the coalition because “there is a glaring absence of an education platform” and “he has not participated in most public debates.”

With two months left to elect the right education leaders, EdNation said that “BET sa Balota” will continue to release voter’s guide assessments as presidential candidates announce more education-related stances and plans.