The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) is all set to perform an evaluation on the Philippine education sector’s performance starting January 2023.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, co-chairperson of EDCOM II, said this will boost the Marcos administration’s effort to effectively address the country’s education crisis which was aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Sa pagbubukas ng 2023, agaran nating sisimulan ang maigting na pagsusuri sa estado ng edukasyon sa ating bansa (With the opening of 2023, we will immediately begin a rigorous examination of the state of education in our country),” said Gatchalian, who is also chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
“Sa pamamagitan ng EDCOM II, magpapanukala at magsusulong tayo ng mga repormang tutugon sa krisis na bumabalot sa sektor ng edukasyon (Through EDCOM II, we will propose and promote reforms that will respond to the crisis engulfing the education sector),” he said.
EDCOM II was created by virtue of Republic Act No. 11899 or the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) Act, which Gatchalian sponsored during the 18th Congress.
The Commission is poised to evaluate how mandates are observed under the laws that created the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Its goal is to recommend transformative, concrete and targeted reforms to make the Philippines globally competitive in both the education and labor markets.
Last December, the Senate named the members of the Advisory Council, among them are Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto and Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano who are named policy advisors from the local government units (LGUs); former Ateneo de Manila University President Fr. Bienvenido Nebres and former University of the Philippines (UP) College of Social Sciences and Philosophy dean Dr. Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista from the academe; Mr. Alfredo Ayala and Dr. Chito Salazar from the business sector.
On the other hand, former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director-general Irene Isaac and Private Education Assistance Committee Executive Director Doris Ferrer will serve as policy advisors representing government education agencies.
The Synergeia Foundation and the Civil Society Network for Education Reforms (E-Net Philippines) will also represent civil society organizations and development partners engaged in education.
Under the law, EDCOM II is mandated to accomplish its goal within three years from its organization. The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) will also serve as the Commission’s research arm.