Senator Win Gatchalian hailed a new law that seeks to create the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), calling the development a significant step forward in addressing the country’s education crisis.
Republic Act No. 11899, which Gatchalian sponsored during the 18th Congress before lapsing into law last July 23, creates the EDCOM II to undertake a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the Philippine education sector’s performance, which will include how the mandates are observed under the laws that created the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
This national assessment will recommend transformative, concrete, and targeted reforms to make the Philippines globally competitive in both education and labor markets. It will also recommend specific, targeted and timebound solutions to enable education agencies to improve their performance vis-à-vis measurable indicators and deliver accessible, inclusive and quality education that is at par with world standards.
As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, Gatchalian will be one of the Commission’s Co-Chairpersons. As such, he will ensure that the Commission will be focused and productive, especially in identifying the challenges hounding the education sector and proposing the necessary reforms.
“Napapanahon na ang pagtatatag ng EDCOM II upang wakasan ang krisis sa sektor at tiyakin na natatanggap ng ating mga mag-aaral ang dekalidad na edukasyon. Titiyakin nating ang Komisyon ay magdudulot ng mga mahahalagang repormang mag-aangat sa kalidad ng edukasyon sa bansa, at tiyaking handa ang ating mga mag-aaral na makipagsabayan sa ibang bansa,” said Gatchalian.
Gatchalian cited that learning poverty in the Philippines is now at 90.5%, according to a joint report by UNICEF, UNESCO, and the World Bank entitled “Where are we on Education Recovery?” This means that nine in every 10 Filipinos aged 10 cannot read or understand a simple story.
