Gatchalian renews push for the creation of a National Education Council   

 
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has refiled the bill that seeks to create the National Education Council (NEDCO) in a bid to harmonize the policies of the three education sub-sectors in the Philippines. 
 
In filing Senate Bill No. 2017, or the proposed National Education Council Act, the senator seeks the creation of NEDCO to institutionalize a system of national coordination, planning, monitoring, evaluation, and management among and between the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
 
The bill primarily seeks the formulation of a national education agenda, which shall be based on the government’s national development plans. 
 
It aims to establish, among others, the country’s strategic vision for education, long-term and medium-term goals, strategies for a coordinated and coherent implementation, and recommendations on the corresponding investments and appropriations, Gatchalian said.
 
"Through our proposal to form a National Council for Education, we will be able to strengthen relations with various government offices to raise the quality of education in our country," said Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
 
According to the senator, NEDCO’s powers and functions will include the implementation of an action agenda for the development of the country’s capacity for, and success in education as measured by indices and measures such as the National Achievement Test (NAT), Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Education Index, Education for All Development Index, and others it may deem appropriate in measuring growth and development of the education sector.
 
Under the measure, the President will be the Chairperson of NEDCO while the DepEd Secretary, CHED Chairperson, and TESDA Director-General will serve as Co-Chairpersons. 
 
Other members of the Council will include the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and selected members of the Cabinet.
 
Gatchalian recalled that the 1991 Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) had recommended the creation of a coordinating body following the tri-focalization of the country’s education system. 
 
While tri-focalization led to greater focus and depth in sub-sectors’ planning and implementation of development programs, he noted that the Presidential Commission on Educational Reform (PCER) created in 1998 flagged how it resulted in possible overlaps, gaps, inconsistencies in and non-alignment of policies, plans, and programs.
 
“This measure recognizes the indispensable role of a national council on education, as recommended by the 1991 EDCOM, to develop an effective and efficient education ecosystem that will enable the three sub-sectors to implement policies and programs coherently, while engaging other government agencies, local government units, the business sector, the academe, and other public and private stakeholders who play a crucial role in the education sector,” Gatchalian stated in the explanatory note of the bill.