Following the launch of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) Final Report, “Turning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reforms (2026–2035),” the Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday, Jan. 27, committed to lead the next decade of education reform.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said the focus is now on turning long-standing recommendations into concrete, time-bound actions across the education system.

Per Angara, several recommendations in the report align with reforms already underway, as the agency moves to fast-track implementation and tighten accountability mechanisms.

“Many of the recommendations reflect reforms that DepEd has already started implementing. What we are doing now is moving faster, scaling up, and tightening accountability,” he said in a statement.

Angara added that the EDCOM 2 report should serve as a shared national agenda requiring sustained cooperation across sectors.

“Turning Point is ultimately a nation-building agenda, and its success will depend on collective action,” he said, urging lawmakers, local governments, industry partners, parents, and civil society to support reforms beyond political cycles.

According to the agency, the roadmap anchors reforms earlier in a child’s learning journey through closer coordination among education, health, and nutrition agencies, alongside stronger participation by local governments.

“Curriculum harmonization, workforce training, and unified data systems are being rolled out to strengthen early learning delivery. It will be supported by expanded feeding and parent engagement programs beginning School Year 2026–2027, particularly in high-need communities,” DepEd said.

At the classroom level, the revised K to 10 curriculum is being rolled out nationwide, supported by large-scale teacher training and earlier alignment of learning materials.

The education department said diagnostic-driven interventions under the ARAL Program are being implemented nationwide to support learning recovery, alongside the opening of national and international assessment results to schools, local governments, and parents through Project BUKAS to enable timely, school-level action.

“By School Year 2026–2027, reforms in grading, assessment, and promotion are expected to reinforce mastery-based learning and ensure that learner progression reflects actual learning outcomes,” the agency said.

DepEd said teachers and school leaders remain central to the reform agenda.

“Administrative workload is being reduced through the deployment of non-teaching personnel and the digitization of school processes, while professional development and career progression systems are being aligned more closely with instructional competence,” it said.

The agency said Senior High School programs are being strengthened through closer coordination with industry, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), while reforms in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) are improving learner tracking, literacy outcomes, and completion rates.

DepEd said school infrastructure delivery is being accelerated to support the reforms, with public-private partnerships reactivated alongside collaboration with local government units.

The agency added that bidding for PPP projects is set to begin this year, with simultaneous construction expected by the first quarter of 2027 to address the country’s 165,000-classroom shortage.

DepEd said it will continue working with Congress, local governments, and development partners to monitor progress under the National Education and Workforce Development Plan, stressing that the next decade of education reform will be judged by faster implementation and measurable improvements in learning outcomes.