Marcos urged to get all education agencies 'on the same page'

MANILA, Philippines — The country's learning crisis has become so pervasive at all levels that different agencies need to consolidate their policies to drive effective reforms, according to a congressional body tasked with reviewing the education system.

Senators serving as commissioners of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) on Tuesday filed a concurrent resolution urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to create a "cabinet cluster" to unify the current fragmented implementation of education policies and reforms. 

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 21 was filed by Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Alan Peter Cayetano, Koko Pimentel III and Joel Villanueva and follows the filing of a similar resolution filed at the House of Representatives on July 16.

EDCOM 2 is pushing for the creation of a cabinet cluster composed of the three main education agencies: the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Besides these three agencies, EDCOM 2 wants the cluster to include the participation of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the support of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

The EDCOM 2 commissioners are proposing that the cluster be led by an existing cabinet member with a "direct stake in education" with funding from the DBM.

"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,” Gatchalian said in a news release.

EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Yee said the creation of a cluster is "long overdue" given the lack of effective coordination among education agencies. 

“While the EDCOM continues to study longer-term structural reforms that it could propose, the creation of this Cabinet Cluster will ensure that education priorities and directions build on one another, and result in an integrated delivery of quality education that each Filipino learner deserves," Yee said.

The current setup, with multiple agencies overseeing different aspects of education, has led to overlapping functions, inefficiencies and a lack of