By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has approved “in principle” the proposed creation of a Cabinet cluster for education that will be tasked to create a 10-year national plan aimed at addressing the learning gaps in the country, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara said Tuesday.
Marcos gave his approval during a sectoral meeting held in Malacañan Palace, Angara told Palace reporters in a press briefing.
“In principle, he approves of it. And he’d like us to fast-track some of the actions dahil nakikita niya ’yong urgency. It’s a very deep-seated problem. Kumbaga, medyo matagal-tagal na na kailangang tugunan. Sabi niya talagang kailangan itong cluster,” he said.
Angara said the Cabinet cluster for education would consist of the DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Budget and Management.
Marcos has directed the member agencies of the approved Cabinet cluster to carry out “positive interventions” for Filipino learners, he said.
The proposal to create the Cabinet cluster was presented by the 2nd Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) during the sectoral meeting.
Malacañang Press Briefer Daphne Oseña-Paez said Marcos has instructed the Cabinet cluster to pursue a “coherent and system-wide” national integrated education and workforce development strategy.
EDCOM Executive Director Karol Mark Yee said the Cabinet cluster would formulate a 10-year plan that would help address the “failed system of Philippine education.”
Yee cited the need to create the education cluster to ensure the delivery of an “integrated” system in the education sector.
He noted that while concerned government agencies are doing their respective jobs, they do it independently “with no mechanism of really coordinating (and) making sure that the plans come together.”
“Malinaw that DepEd, of course, has to do its work in terms of resolving the learning crisis, but it’s not something that it could achieve on its own. Kailangan tulungan talaga ‘yung agencies. Malaki iyong ginagampanan ng CHED and TESDA,” Yee said.
“It’s really the national education and workforce development plan that is long-term that will anchor them all to make sure that there is one coherent direction,” he added.
House Committee on Basic Education and Culture Chairperson, Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, said the creation of a Cabinet cluster for education would help address the learning crisis with a “unified” approach.
Romulo, who co-chairs EDCOM 2, said the cluster would enhance the oversight and coordination of education-related agencies within the executive department.
“As we navigate through this learning crisis, we have observed that despite the best intentions, many of our education agencies are engaged in fragmented and disjointed efforts,” Romulo said in a statement.
“These efforts, while well-meaning, often result in further complications, leading to wasted resources and an overburdened workforce. This is a situation we can no longer afford to perpetuate.”
He said the solution is to streamline and focus on core functions.
“When a system fails, the solution is not to add more layers of complexity. Instead, we must simplify, subtracting what is non-essential and focusing on building a strong, resilient foundation,” he added.
Romulo expressed hope that this change will ensure the consistent and effective delivery of quality education across all levels and bring significant, long-term improvements to the Philippine education system.
“This initiative is not merely a matter of governance; it is about ensuring that every agency involved in education works in coordination, follows a clear policy direction, and understands the critical urgency of the tasks at hand,” he said. (with a report from Filane Mikee Cervantes)