Senate urges Marcos to create Cabinet cluster for education
THE PHILIPPINE Senate on Tuesday adopted a resolution urging the President to create a cabinet cluster for education that could ensure proper implementation of the country’s educational policies and measures.
“This cluster will provide strong oversight of all education agencies, ensuring that our laws, policies, reforms, and regulations are carried out in a cohesive and coherent manner,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, who co-authored the resolution, said before the Senate plenary.
“This is one critical step in addressing the education crisis that our country is facing,” he added.
Through Concurrent Resolution No. 21, the Senate called on President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to create a cabinet cluster that will facilitate “seamless and coherent” implementation of local education laws, policies, reforms, and regulations across all government agencies.
The resolution also calls for the formation of a long term integrated national education and workforce development plan. This would address the country’s coordination challenges and gaps in the strategic planning of the education sector.
“By aligning efforts and holding agencies jointly responsible for outcomes, we can guarantee that every centavo spent directly benefits our learners,” Senator Lorna Regina “Loren” B. Legarda said in her co-sponsorship address.
The Cabinet Cluster will include the heads of the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Early Childhood Care and Development Council, among others.
Mr. Gatchalian said that the agencies will ensure that education reforms “are not only well-intentioned but also well-coordinated and effectively implemented.”
It will be headed by an existing cabinet secretary that has a direct stake in the education sector or a designated presidential adviser.
Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva, also a co-author, said that the creation of the cluster will enhance the collaboration between DepEd, TESDA, and CHED.
“Our recent legislative efforts highlight the necessity for these agencies to share not only goodwill but also information, resources, and capabilities,” Mr. Villanueva added.
Additionally, Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano said that without the coordination of education agencies, country’s education system “will keep struggling with fragmented leadership and disconnected reforms.”
“After three decades of a divided system, we need one that moves as one, from early childhood to employment,” he added.
Last year, the President had “approved in principle” the creation of the Cabinet cluster, citing the urgency to fast-track the implementation of education reforms, following the recommendation of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2). — Adrian H. Halili
