Education Secretary Sonny Angara has reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) in addressing gaps in the Philippine education system.
Angara, in an earlier statement, knowledged the Commission’s role in driving education reforms and expressed gratitude to Congress for enacting laws based on its recommendations.
“We thank the Senate, under Senate President Chiz Escudero, for passing laws recommended by EDCOM II,” Angara said during the unveiling of EDCOM II’s Year 2 report.
A former EDCOM II commissioner, Angara noted that 37 priority education bills are in the legislative pipeline, with five already signed into law. Among the approved measures are the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program (RA12028) and the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act (RA12080).
As DepEd chief, Angara now implements reforms aligned with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive and EDCOM II’s findings. These include the:
— Early Procurement Activities (EPA) for learning materials like textbooks and laptops to address procurement delays;
— Updates to procurement policies for textbooks and teacher manuals to improve quality assurance;
— Senior High School curriculum revisions, reducing subjects while enhancing focus on essential skills
— Fast-tracking of classroom construction, targeting 105,000 new classrooms, starting with 15,000 through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) this year.
Angara said collaboration between DepEd and EDCOM II is essential in ensuring the government’s education agenda effectively moves forward.
The EDCOM Year 2 report, “Fixing the Foundations: A Matter of National Survival,” outlines the urgent priorities in Philippine education, which Angara pledged to address through DepEd’s policies and programs.
