By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. praised the various achievements of his administration stemming from sweeping reforms on education, in his speech at the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) held at Batasang Pambansa, Quezon City, this Monday.
“Puspusan nating inaayos at pinapaganda ang ating sistema ng edukasyon. Sa lahat ng mga pinahahalagahan ng administrasyon, ito pa rin ang nasa rurok,” the President said, emphasizing that the education sector sits atop the government’s priorities.
President Marcos announced the implementation of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program and the enhanced Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) program this year, with the former derived from Republic Act No. 12028 that was signed into law in 2024 and the latter a product of Republic Act No. 12199 that was inked on May 8.
He also vowed to address the incidents of bullying and depression among Filipino youth, which affect their mental health, by increasing the number of school counselors that would guide and mold their young minds and hearts.
“Naglaan tayo ng isang bilyon para makapagtayo ng mahigit tatlong daang Barangay Child Development Centers at ‘Bulilit Centers’ sa buong bansa,” the President said.
“Ang pinaka-priority ay ‘yong mga nangangailangan na pook na malalayo. At pauna lamang ‘yan. Unti-unti nating tutugunan ang matinding kakulangan sa daycare center na nabinbin mula pa noong 1990,” he added.
The Chief Executive has also ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to fast-track the vaccination of children to ensure adequate protection from diseases. Likewise, he announced the launch of PhilHealth’s YAKAP Caravan, an initiative which provides free medical checkups, cancer screenings, and medicines to students and teachers, thus ensuring that they are in the pink of health.
He also took note of the 22 additional classrooms that were made available to learners across the country, which he expects to increase up to 40,000 classrooms before the end of his term in 2028, with funding and assistance from stakeholders in the private sector and lawmakers in Congress.
“Maraming salamat sa mga guro, lalo na sa mga Ate at Kuya na nag-volunteer at [tinuruan] ang mga [bata] para mas maganda ang resulta nila sa kanilang eskuwela,” the President said, lauding the success of the government-backed tutoring and remedial program.
“Sa Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) at sa Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), ipagpatuloy pa ninyo ang mga ganitong klaseng internship at pre-employment programs para sa ating estudyante sa kolehiyo. Malaking tulong ito sa kanila habang sila ay nag-aaral, malaking tulong ito sa bansa,” he added.
President Marcos, moreover, welcomed the arrival of new digital equipment allocated to educators in public schools, which includes new laptops, smart TVs, free Wi-Fi, and free load on Bayanihan SIM cards. He expects these tools to be of great use in enabling learners to adopt new ways of learning facilitated by the use of the internet and modern technologies.
On looking after teachers’ welfare
The Chief Executive also reaffirmed his support to teachers, whom he cites as essential in indoctrinating the youth with values, skills, knowledge, and expertise that would prepare them for their chosen careers in the future.
“Asahan po ninyo na hindi gagawing sukatan ng galing ninyo o ng performance ninyo ang dami lamang ng estudyante na inyong ipinapasa. Kundi, ang dami ng mag-aaral na inyong pinapahusay at pinapataas ang ambisyon sa buhay,” the President said.
“Hindi tayo tumitigil maghanap ng mga paraan upang pagaanin kahit paano ang inyong pasanin sa araw-araw,” he declared, vowing to further ease the workload of teachers and uplift their welfare.
President Marcos cited the removal of unnecessary paperwork from the workflow of educators, with plans to digitalize the remaining papers that they are working on so that they can manage these online. He likewise promised teachers that they would receive proper compensation for the teaching overload and overtime hours.
On improving tech-voc education
Moreover, the Chief Executive lauded the effectiveness of technical vocational (TechVoc) courses in senior high school (SHS), noting the gradual integration of the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority’s (TESDA) technical-vocational education and training (TVET) in SHS.
TVET enables senior high pupils to consider bookkeeping, agribusiness, electrical installation and maintenance, and graphic design among the choices of careers available to them. Should they pursue any of these courses, they may opt to apply for a job after graduation with skill sets that are comparable to TESDA’s NC II or NC III certificate holders.
President Marcos has vowed to allocate almost P60 billion for free education in public colleges and TechVoc programs, noting the rise in TESDA scholarships granted to aspiring pupils, with more than 200,000 of them benefiting from education subsidies as of 2024.
“Kitang-kita natin ang bunga ng mga programang ito. Napakataas ngayon ng bilang ng kabataan nating pumasok sa kolehiyo o sa TESDA. Pilipinas na ang pumapangalawa sa buong ASEAN sa dami ng mga kabataang pumasok sa kolehiyo at sa TechVoc,” the President said.
“Mas marami na rin ang nakakapagtapos. Kaya mga magulang: sulitin na ninyo ang mga pagkakataong ito. Dahil hangad natin na sa lalong madaling panahon, ang bawat isang pamilya ay may anak na nakapagtapos ng kolehiyo o sa TESDA,” he added, urging parents of learners to take advantage of the new opportunities granted to them by TESDA.
On sustaining free education in public colleges
President Marcos also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensure adequate funds in support of providing free tertiary education to students in public colleges and universities, citing the initiative benefits more than two million learners every year.
“Kung tutungtong naman sa kolehiyo, nakahanda ang malaking pondo para sa pagtutustos sa libreng pampublikong edukasyon sa kolehiyo, pati na rin ang mga subsidy at financial assistance para sa mas higit pang nangangailangang estudyante,” the President declared.
“Sa mga kasama naman sa Listahanan at 4Ps: itong susunod na tatlong taon, bibigyan natin nang mataas na prayoridad ang mga anak ninyong tutungtong sa kolehiyo,” he added.
The Chief Executive likewise praised improvements in the quality of education of universities and colleges in the country, with 114 educational institutions (60 of which are public schools) gaining international recognition in 2025, up from only 22 in 2022.
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