Shekinah Jedidiah Alima 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the creation of a Cabinet cluster for education consisting of the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education, (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on August 13.

Photo Courtesy of DepEd/CHED/TESDA/Wall Street Journal.

The proposal to create a Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) aims to solve the basic learning gaps in the Philippines collectively, with a 10-year national plan.

Under the creation of this new Cabinet cluster, education reforms will be tackled that can provide a holistic approach to the country’s most prevalent learning challenges.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara highlighted the urgency of the cause and thanked Marcos for supporting their initiative.

“We’re very thankful to the president for the swift action. Actually, it’s our first presentation on this,” Angara stated in a press briefing at Malacañang.

“Yung mga issue na tagpi-tagpi sa mga ahensya, mapag-uusapan nitong cluster,” he added.

Some of the issues they want to address include the lack of guidance counselors, with 5,000 vacancies at present.

They will also be given 5 years to complete the necessary credentials, setting aside their master’s degree requirement that Angara found as a reason for the shortage.

The recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessment revealed that 15-year-old Filipino students ranked 2nd to the lowest among 64 countries globally in terms of creative thinking, with a mean score of 14.

Filipino students emerged lagging in other areas as well, with mean scores of 347 in reading, 561 in science and 575 in mathematics, during the 2022 PISA evaluation.