Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, has filed several pieces of legislation which seek to bolster the plans of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for the education sector.
“Bilang (As the) Chairman ng (of the) Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, makikipagtulungan tayo sa administrasyon upang tiyaking maihahatid natin sa bawat kabataang Pilipino ang dekalidad na edukasyon (We will help the administration in ensure that they deliver quality education to the Filipino youth),” Gatchalian said on Sunday, July 31.
Marcos, in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), touched on reviewing the K to 12 educational system, improving the country’s performance in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and in the English language, the return of face-to-face classes, and the controversial push to reinstate Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC)
READ: ‘Horror’ on educational materials ‘must end’—Marcos
In the fledgling 19th Congress, Gatchalian filed Senate Resolution (SR) 5, to initiate a Senate probe into the implementation of the K to 12 system or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 and enumerate solutions to improve it.
READ: Gatchalian: Dissatisfaction with K to 12 system growing, needs urgent review
He filed Senate Bill (SB) 476, known as the “Equitable Access to Math and Science Education Act,” which wants to establish even more Math and Science-focused high schools throughout the country.
To support the digital transformation of the education sector, Gatchalian filed two bills:
SB 383 or the Digital Transformation in Basic Education Act which directs the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to deploy free Wi-Fi in all public education institutions; and SB 474 or the One Learner One Laptop Act which will require the Department of Education (DepEd) to provide one laptop to every public school student under the K to 12 program.
READ: Gatchalian seeks digitalization of PH basic education system
Meanwhile, Gatchalian who favors the return of ROTC, filed Senate Bill 387 which mandates that students enrolled in Grades 11 and 12 will be required to participate in the ROTC.