EDCOM 2 urges PBBM to create cabinet cluster for education

PHILIPPINES, July 11 - Press Release
July 11, 2024

EDCOM 2 urges PBBM to create cabinet cluster for education

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) has sent a letter to President Marcos urging him to create a Cabinet Cluster for Education to provide strong oversight on all the education agencies under the Executive Department.

This is among the efforts of EDCOM 2 to strengthen the governance structure of the education system, and to urgently address the country's learning crisis. The call has been submitted for the consideration of the President ahead of his State of the Nation Address on July 22, and following his appointment of a new DepEd Secretary.

"While the trifocalization of the education system allowed the DepEd, the CHED, and the TESDA to focus on the sub-sectors they represent, the absence of an effective coordinating mechanism became a challenge in pursuing a coherent education strategy. Moving forward, we need to ensure that our education agencies and other government institutions are headed in the same direction, and this is where a coordinating body can step in under the guidance of the President," said EDCOM 2 Chairperson Senator Win Gatchalian.

For his part, EDCOM 2 Commissioner Rep. Kiko Benitez stressed, "We must understand the education sector from a systems perspective. Each stage of education feeds into the other, with multiple entries and exits. Education policies must not, therefore, be developed and implemented in silos. So we must strengthen coordination among education agencies to support different learning pathways and facilitate learner mobility as they prepare for and navigate a changing world."

It must be noted that while the First Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 1) recommended the trifocalization of education with the creation of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in addition to what used to be the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS), it likewise proposed the establishment of a National Coordinating Council for Education (NCCE) in order to ensure effective coordination, planning, and allocation of resources among the three agencies. Since the 1990s however, several attempts to implement the NCCE - including Executive Order No. 273 s. 2000, and EO No. 652, s. 2007 - were unable to successfully institutionalize it.

"Three decades have passed since the trifocalization of our education system, as recommended by the first EDCOM report. We have seen its benefits and drawbacks, and now that we are in the process of reviewing the system and holistically addressing its ills, our governance structures must also adjust to the much needed reforms in education-- particularly addressing the need to enhance coordination across our three education agencies," says Dr. Karol Mark Yee, Executive Director of EDCOM 2.

As highlighted in the EDCOM Year One Report, Miseducation: The Failed System of Philippine Education, in the absence of a coordinating body, at least 68 interagency bodies involving the education agencies have been established as coordination mechanisms tackling a broad range of concerns on education. Meanwhile, the lack of coordination has resulted in significant challenges, including the training of early childhood education (ECE) workers and teachers, the implementation of Senior High School, the development of a robust pipeline of teachers and guidance counselors, and the ladderization between TVET and higher education courses.

EDCOM 2's proposed cabinet cluster for education under the Office of the President shall ensure a cohesive and coherent implementation of all laws, policies, and reforms on education across all government and non-government stakeholders, as well as the formulation of an integrated national education and workforce development plan. Apart from the education agencies, it also includes the participation of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the support of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

"With the unified goal of providing quality education for all, the national agencies for education must come together through the creation of a Cabinet Cluster for Education. This coordinating body will bolster streamlined policymaking that will ensure aligned and coherent policies across the education lifecycle - from early childhood to tertiary and vocational training. The time is right to take this significant step forward in institutionalizing a coordinating body for education", says EDCOM 2 Commissioner Senator Koko Pimentel.

"It is imperative that national agencies such as ECCD Council, DepEd, CHED, TESDA, and the Department of Labor and Employment coordinate with each other and ensure that all Filipinos have access to quality education. To this end, we propose the creation of a cabinet cluster for education composed of these agencies headed by an existing cabinet member with direct stake in education and supported by the Department of Budget and Management for funding, to ensure the harmonization and implementation of effective education policies. The key moving forward is for convergence between and amongst these departments in terms of responsibility, goals and objectives, funding, and action," says EDCOM 2 co-chairperson Rep. Roman T Romulo.

"Addressing the long standing lack of effective coordination among our education agencies since the trifocalization took place in the 1990s is long overdue. 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, " says ED Yee.

The EDCOM 2's urging of the President is anchored on the Constitution, no less, which vests the executive power in the President, who shall have the power of control of all the executive departments, bureaus, and offices, to ensure that the laws are faithfully executed. If created, the Cabinet Cluster for Education will be alongside other clusters for Participatory Governance, Infrastructure, Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Security, Justice and Peace, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction, and Economic Development.