Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Tuesday, Aug. 13, confirmed that President Marcos has approved, “in principle,” the creation of a Cabinet Cluster for Education.
“We’re very thankful to the President for his swift action,” the newly appointed Department of Education secretary said in a Malacañang press briefing.
“In principle, he approves of it and would like us to fast-track some of the actions because he can see the urgency and it’s a very deep-seated problem,” Angara added.
The creation of the Cabinet Cluster for Education was proposed by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2).
EDCOM 2 is a Congressional body tasked with undertaking a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector.
The need for ‘one coherent direction’
EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee explained that addressing the learning crisis is not a “sole problem” of DepEd alone.
“DepEd has to do its work in resolving the learning crisis, but it’s not something it can achieve on its own — kailangan tulungan talaga yung agencies (the agencies need to work together),” Yee explained.
Yee summarized the challenges in achieving education quality — lack of basic education resources, bullying and its impact on the academic performance of Filipino students, and mismatched teacher training — among others.
While education agencies are doing their part, Yee underscored the need to streamline programs, address gaps, and ensure continuity across all levels. This is where the Cabinet Cluster for Education comes in.
“[We need] to make sure that there is one coherent direction, and that is what we proposed to the President — a cabinet cluster that will come together,” Yee said.
The Cabinet Cluster for Education, Yee said, will focus on formulating a 10-year integrated National Education and Workforce Development Plan and ensuring that agency targets and budgets are aligned to support this plan every year.
Yee pointed out that the National Education and Workforce Development Plan is a “long-term” initiative to address challenges in the education sector.
“Kailangan tuloy-tuloy yung reforms. If they are interrupted, bagsak na naman tayo so mahalagang-mahalaga yung gagampanan ng Education Cluster (Reforms need to be continuous. If they are interrupted, we'll be back to square one, so the role of the Education Cluster is very important),” he added.
Angara explained that the Cabinet Cluster for Education will comprise the DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Noting that the cluster will serve as a coordinating mechanism among agencies, Angara said that it will also include coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Why create a new cluster?
In July, EDCOM 2 sent a letter to President Marcos urging him to create a Cabinet Cluster for Education to provide “strong oversight” on all education agencies under the Executive Department.
The creation of a new cluster, EDCOM 2 said, would “strengthen” the governance structure of the education system and urgently address the country’s learning crisis.
EDCOM 2 explained that while the trifocalization of the education system allowed DepEd, CHED, and TESDA to focus on the sub-sectors they represent, the “absence of an effective coordinating mechanism became a challenge in pursuing a coherent education strategy.”
“Moving forward, we need to ensure that our education agencies and other government institutions are headed in the same direction, and this is where a coordinating body can step in under the guidance of the President,” EDCOM 2 said.
EDCOM 2 pointed out that we need to understand the education sector from a “systems perspective.”
“Each stage of education feeds into the other, with multiple entries and exits,” EDCOM 2 said. “Education policies must not, therefore, be developed and implemented in silos,” it added.
For EDCOM 2, strengthening the coordination among education agencies to “support different learning pathways and facilitate learner mobility as they prepare for and navigate a changing world” is very important.
As highlighted in the EDCOM Year One Report, Miseducation: The Failed System of Philippine Education, in the absence of a coordinating body, at least 68 interagency bodies involving the education agencies have been established as coordination mechanisms tackling a broad range of concerns on education.
Meanwhile, the lack of coordination has resulted in significant challenges, including the training of early childhood education (ECE) workers and teachers, the implementation of Senior High School, the development of a robust pipeline of teachers and guidance counselors, and the ladderization between TVET and higher education courses.
EDCOM 2’s proposed Cabinet Cluster for Education under the Office of the President will ensure a “cohesive and coherent” implementation of all laws, policies, and reforms on education across all government and non-government stakeholders, as well as the formulation of an integrated national education and workforce development plan.
Getting support
Last month, two EDCOM 2 Senate commissioners filed concurrent resolutions urging Marcos to create a Cabinet Cluster for Education.
The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) Commissioners Senators Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian, Alan Peter Cayetano, Koko Pimentel III, and Joel Villanueva filed Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 21, urging President Marcos to create a Cabinet Cluster for Education.
“This concurrent resolution filed with my fellow EDCOM 2 commissioners echoes the immediate need to have a cohesive and coherent implementation of education laws, policies, reforms, and regulations,” EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Senator Gatchalian said.
“We need to make sure that everyone in government is on the same page and headed in the same direction, especially as we seek to reverse the country’s education crisis,” he added.
Last week, during a joint deliberation of the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Culture (CBEC) and Committee on Higher and Technical Education (CHTE) on House Concurrent Resolution No. 28, national government agencies and private education organizations also expressed their full support for the creation of a Cabinet Cluster for Education.
Aside from DepEd, CHED, TESDA, DBM, and DOLE, the creation of a new cluster was also backed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Coordinating Councils for Private Education Associations (COCOPEA), Technical Vocational School Associations of the Philippines (TVSA), and other private education groups, including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The agencies and organizations said that this initiative “will not only help streamline the policies and plans of the entire education sector but can also ensure that resources are efficiently directed to address the learning crisis of the country.”
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