House pushes for cabinet cluster to harmonize DepEd, CHED and TESDA strategies
FROM L to R: EDCOM 2 Commissioners Rep. Roman Romulo, Rep. Mark Go, Rep. Pablo John Garcia, Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez and Rep. Khalid Dimaporo. Photo by EDCOM 2.
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have filed a resolution urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to create a cabinet-level cluster for education.
Filed on July 16, House Concurrent Resolution No. 28 aims to improve oversight and coordination among the country’s education agencies, namely the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
EDCOM 2 Commissioners, including Rep. Roman Romulo, Rep. Mark Go, Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez, Rep. Khalid Dimaporo and Rep. Pablo John Garcia, highlighted the lack of a cohesive national education strategy due to the trifocaliztion that allowed the three agencies to focus on the sub-sectors they represent.
“It has been three decades since the trifocalization of our education system, and our comprehensive assessment shows critical coordination issues that need to be addressed,” said Romulo, EDCOM 2 co-chairperson. .
EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Yee described the current setup as “very inefficient” and worsening the issue.
“Findings of our Year One report show that in the absence of a coordinating body, at least 68 interagency bodies involving the education agencies have been established as coordination mechanisms tackling a broad range of concerns on education. This is already very inefficient, and the lack of a coordinating mechanism further aggravates the problem,” Yee said.
The commission previously sent a letter to President Marcos on June 27, urging the creation of a Cabinet Cluster for Education to address the learning crisis and implement necessary reforms.
“On behalf of my fellow education champions and EDCOM 2 commissioners, we urge the President to create a Cabinet Cluster for Education to address the learning crisis and implement crucial reforms,” Romulo added.
