President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) placed education where it rightfully belongs—at the heart of national development. His emphasis on improving the education system was accompanied by a list of concrete programs, ambitious targets, and long-term strategies to sustain action. Significantly, the President cited figures that show the positive results of ongoing education programs.

A day after his SONA, the Department of Education unveiled the Quality Basic Education Development Plan (QBEDP) 2025–2035 – a blueprint for a decade-long transformation of our education system. Its three levers of reform—decentralization, digitalization, and strengthened public-private partnerships— aim to overhaul the foundations of basic education and ensure that Filipino learners are not left behind.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara called the QBEDP a “panata” or vow—not just by the government, but by the entire nation. It is a commitment to bring every Filipino child to the doors of opportunity through quality education. The plan builds on the Five-Point Reform Agenda and the Basic Education Development Plan of 2022, setting “basecamps” or milestone years—2028, 2031, and 2034—to track progress in catching up, innovating, and meeting global education benchmarks.

The President’s SONA also highlighted literacy and reading as urgent concerns. He cited encouraging results from the Bawat Bata Makakabasa initiative and the Literacy Remediation Program, which reportedly reduced the number of low-emerging Grade 3 readers by 96.37 percent.

A very significant part of the President’s speech was on Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), benefiting learners, particularly in remote areas – a recognition that learning must begin early and supported holistically from nutrition to mental health. Supporting that is the ongoing construction of 328 new child development centers in the poorest municipalities and the allocation of over ₱1 billion for the creation of more than 300 Bulilit Centers—barangay-based early learning hubs. Also supporting early childhood care is the expansion of the School-Based Feeding Program to 1.4 million beneficiaries.

The President also reported on the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program which helped improve literacy for at least 90,000 learners during the recent summer session.

A quiet but growing crisis was also addressed by the President – the mental well-being of students. Through the YAKAP Caravan in partnership with the Department of Health, more school counselors are being hired to address depression, bullying, and other mental health issues.

Of course, infrastructure remains a pressing concern. The administration promises to build 40,000 more classrooms before the end of its term, adding to the 22,000 already completed.

At the tertiary level, the President announced expanded college scholarship programs and increased funding for state universities and colleges. These moves aim to make higher education more inclusive and accessible, especially for students from low-income families.

While these developments are promising, their success will depend on how well implementation matches the vision. The QBEDP must be a living, evolving strategy, as DepEd describes it—one that responds dynamically to challenges such as climate change, economic shifts, and rapid technological change.

Education is not just a sector—it is the foundation of national progress. President Marcos’s SONA rightly recognizes this. Now, the challenge is to sustain the political will, provide adequate funding, and involve all stakeholders—teachers, parents, LGUs, and private partners—in building an education system that truly equips every Filipino child for the future.