Duterte urged to certify EdCom bill as urgent

MANILA, Philippines — Private education stakeholders have urged President Duterte to certify as urgent a bill that will convene the Education Commission (EdCom) to help solve the learning crisis in the country.

The Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) said the current education system must be reset to address the learning crises and losses in education brought by the pandemic.

“I am optimistic that we can overcome the learning crisis. Passing this EdCom bill is a step toward that direction,” PBEd chairperson Ramon del Rosario said during a virtual briefing yesterday.

Del Rosario noted that the EdCom can help serve as a roadmap toward policy reform in the education sector.

With the EdCom, legislators and stakeholders can review and amend existing policies and legislation to address current gaps and improve the quality of Philippine education.

The call came as the country was seen lagging behind learning outcomes, with a World Bank study showing that 80 percent of young students were unable to meet learning standards.

About 17.5 percent of Filipinos aged 15-24 are considered youth or not in employment or training.

“A great reset of our education system is in order. That great reset is the EdCom 2. Edukasyon muna, edukasyon naman. We call on President Rodrigo Duterte to certify House Bill 10308 as urgent,” Del Rosario said.

The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA) backed the call for the passage of the bill that would convene the congressional Edcom.

COCOPEA noted that this would allow legislature and key stakeholders to revisit laws passed during EdCom 1 which was convened 30 years ago and check the implementation of the mandates and propose policy interventions on any gaps.

Del Rosario said he is optimistic that the bill would be passed before Congress adjourns this year or at least before the start of the 2022 elections.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd) said it was awarded a five-star rating by the United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund in remote learning index.

The DepEd said that the Philippines was one of four countries that received a five-star rating across all levels of basic education in the Ensuring Equal Access to Education in Future Crises: Findings of the New Remote Learning Readiness Index.

Along with Argentina, Barbados and Jamaica, the Philippines was found to have “efficient policy responses supported by high emergency preparedness and existence of household factors that support remote learning.”