Graduates of my Grade 6 class in the 1960s from a rural school in Mindanao were, in all probability, fundamentally functionally literate. We could read, comprehend text, and perform necessary arithmetic operations. These skills were the keys that unlocked opportunities for us in the batch. Mostly coming from farming families, more than half went on to finish college and became professionals.

Fast forward to 2026. The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) has just released its landmark final report, “Turning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reforms.” The findings are brutal and undeniable: We are facing not just a learning gap, but a learning collapse and a system failure.

Today, roughly nine out of 10 Filipino 10-year-olds struggle to read and understand a simple text. How did we fall so far? In eight years, they will be joining the workforce. What future is in store for them?

The report details that the decline was not sudden, but a gradual decay caused by several major factors. In the name of “Education for All,” the system expanded rapidly after the 1960s. Enrollment surged. However, teacher training, classroom construction, and material support did not keep pace. We traded depth for breadth. The focused environment of those past decades was replaced by overcrowded classrooms where teachers struggled just to manage chaos, let alone ensure individual mastery.

The curriculum during my time was simple: it focused intensely on the 3Rs (Reading, Writing, 'Rithmetic). Over the decades, we made the curriculum “mile-wide and inch-deep.” We added more subjects without reducing existing loads. Teachers, desperate to “cover the syllabus,” now rush from concept to concept without ensuring students have mastered the prerequisites.

Unlike my generation, where failing a grade was a natural consequence of not learning, modern pressures (and confusing performance metrics) encourage “Social Promotion.” Children are pushed through to the next grade regardless of whether they can read. EDCOM 2 warns that this builds an invisible tax of “learning poverty” that compounds, making it impossible for students to handle complex high school work.

The report highlights an urgent socio-cultural problem that amplifies this crisis: the prevalent “take the easiest route to a college diploma” mindset.

For decades, Filipino society has viewed the college degree as the sole ticket out of poverty. While education is vital, the report shows that the singular obsession with the piece of paper—the credential—has corrupted the learning process itself.

When society demands a diploma above all else, the focus shifts from competence to attainment. Schools feel pressured to relax standards so more students “graduate.” This creates a vicious cycle. We produce “college graduates” who look good on paper but possess the reading and analytical skills of a high school sophomore. We must stress that a high school or college diploma must represent proven, measurable competency, not just perseverance in a broken system.

Perhaps the most transformative finding of EDCOM 2 is the most obvious: the learning crisis does not start in school; it starts at home. We must stop viewing parents as “support” and start seeing them as primary stakeholders.

The findings are devastating: One in four Filipino children under age five is stunted. This permanent cognitive deficit caused by malnutrition means these children arrive at Grade 1 already unable to catch up. The primary role of parents, especially in those first 1,000 days of life, is to ensure nutritional well-being. Government programs like feeding initiatives can help, but parental awareness and responsibility are the frontline defenses.

The report highlights a shocking misconception: 97 percent of Filipino parents believe children under five are “too young” for learning. This is factually incorrect. 80 percent of brain development occurs before age five. Parents should be engaged in “early stimulation”—talking, reading, playing, and storytelling.

Data also shows that only 40 percent of households with young children have children’s books. In low-income households, storytelling by parents, even without high-end books, is crucial for building the language and literacy foundations that the early generations received.

I look at the EDCOM 2 report as our final warning. We need to trigger a turning point soon. We cannot go back to the 1960s, but we can learn from its clarity. We must simplify what we teach, prioritize competence over credentials, and empower parents as the indispensable foundation of education. We know most parents and guardians are busy with basic necessities to ensure there is food on the table.

The future of our nation does not rest solely on the shoulders of overworked teachers in DepEd; it rests on the choices made by every Filipino parent and guardian, beginning long before a child ever sets foot in a classroom. Businesses can play a significant role in helping address the crisis. It has to fill some of the gaps that the government cannot. Sponsoring remedial classes, for example, would go a long way in improving the learning outcomes.

The time for denial is over. The time for a turning point is now.

(The author is an executive member of the National Innovation Council, lead convener of the Alliance for Technology Innovators for the Nation (ATIN), and vice president of the Analytics and AI Association of the Philippines. Email: [email protected])