The Senate has ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the creation of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II).
The bicam report of the measure, now entitled “Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) Act,” resolved differences between House Bill No. 10308 and Senate Bill No. 2485.
The measure primarily creates the EDCOM II to undertake a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the Philippine education sector’s performance. This is to recommend transformative, concrete, and targeted reforms to make the Philippines both globally competitive in both education and labor markets.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, said the creation of EDCOM II will ensure the pursuit of much-needed reforms to address the country’s education crisis.
“Sa pamamagitan ng panukalang EDCOM II, mabibigyan natin ng kaukulang pansin ang krisis sa sektor ng edukasyon, lalo na’t pinalala ito ng pandemya ng COVID-19 (Through EDCOM II, we will be able to give focus on the crisis hounding the education sector, which worsened due to the Covid-19 pandemic),” said Gatchalian, sponsor and co-author of the measure.
“Kung nais natin iangat ang kalidad ng edukasyon para sa ating mga kabataan at tiyakin ang maganda nilang kinabukasan, hindi na natin maaaring ipagpaliban ang pagpapatupad ng mga kinakailangang reporma (If we want to raise the quality of education for our youth and make sure they have a future, we can’t set aside implementing the much-needed reforms in education),” the senator said.
Under the proposed law, EDCOM II’s national assessment and evaluation will review how the mandates are observed in laws that created the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The national assessment 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.
The EDCOM II will have three years to accomplish its mandate; the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) will serve as the research arm of the Commission to produce data-based research and provide analysis in the formulation of education policy recommendations.
