EDCOM II Year One Report PDF: Miseducation in the Philippines

MISEDUCATION The Failed System of Philippine Education EDCOM II YEAR ONE REPORT The Failed System of Philippine Education EDCOM II YEAR ONE REPORT...

MISEDUCATION The Failed System of Philippine Education EDCOM II YEAR ONE REPORT The Failed System of Philippine Education EDCOM II YEAR ONE REPORT MISEDUCATION  MISEDUCATION The Failed System of Philippine Education EDCOM II YEAR ONE REPORT  This report was prepared in 2023 by the Second Congressional Commission on Education, a national commission tasked to undertake a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector. It is composed of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Senator Francis Escudero (represented by Senator Aquilino Pimentel III), Representative Roman Romulo, and Representative Mark Go as Co-Chairpersons, together with Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, Senator Pia Cayetano, Senator Joel Villanueva, Representative Jose Francisco Benitez, Representative Khalid Dimaporo, and Representative Pablo John Garcia as Commissioners. This report is published in January 2024 in accordance with EDCOM II’s mandate to report to Congress its accomplishments on a periodic basis (RA 11899, Sec. 7(l)). This report is not to be reproduced or reprinted in any form for commercial purposes; but may be quoted or reproduced in part for literary or educational research, and for information and advocacy, provided that appropriate citation is made. Bibliographic citation: Second Congressional Commission on Education (2024). Miseducation: The failed system of Philippine education, EDCOM II year one report. Second Congressional Commission on Education. Contents List of Abbreviations vi List of Figures xiv List of Tables xviii Preface xx Executive Summary xxiv Acknowledgments xlvi Introduction xlviii Priority Areas lviii Year 1 Findings 1 EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT 3 Priority 1: Nutrition and Feeding 17 Priority 2: Supply-Side Factors 40 Priority 4: Governance and Financing of ECCD 60 Next Steps for Year 2 77 BASIC EDUCATION 79 Priority 5: Learning Resources 83 Priority 6: Measurement of Learning Outcomes 94 Priority 7: Curriculum and Instruction 116 Next Steps for Year 2 127 HIGHER EDUCATION 129 Priority Area 11a: Access to Quality Education 146 Priority Area 11b: Quality Assurance 158 Next Steps for Year 2 171 TEACHER EDUCATION 175 Priority 16: Alignment of CHED, the PRC, and DepEd (including the TEC) on Teacher Education and Development 187 Priority 18: In-Service Training and Development, Including Teacher Welfare 191 Next Steps for Year 2 204  TECHNICAL-VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING & LIFELONG LEARNING 207 Priority 20: Industry Involvement and Investment in Upskilling Programs 216 Priority 21: Ensuring Quality in Providing TVET for Better Jobs 224 Next Steps for Year 2 241 GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE 245 Priority Area 23: Seamless and Integrated Delivery of Education 247 Priority Area 25: Integrated System of Performance Management and Accountability 269 Priority Area 26: Efficiency and Equity in Financing, Resource Mobilization, and Delivery of Education 274 Priority Area 27: Decentralization and Participatory Governance 300 Next Steps for Year 2 316 Conclusion 319 The Second Congressional Commission on Education 328 Commissioners 328 Education, Legislation, and Policy Advisory Council 329 Standing Committees 329 Technical Secretariat 332 References 334 Annexes 352 vi EDCOM II Year One Report List of Abbreviations Abbreviation Definition 4Ps Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program A&E Accreditation and Equivalency AACCUP Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines ABC Approved Budget for the Contract ACSCU-AAI Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities– Accrediting Agency, Inc. ACTRC Assessment, Curriculum and Technology Research Centre AI artificial intelligence ALCU Association of Local Colleges and Universities ALCUCOA Association of Local Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation ALS Alternative Learning System ANA Amplified Numeracy Assessment AO Administrative Officer ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations AQRF ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework AY academic year BARMM Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao BE Business Education BEA Bureau of Education Assessment BECEd Bachelor of Early Childhood Education BEEd Bachelor of Elementary Education BHROD Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development BHW barangay health worker BIR Bureau of Internal Revenue BLD Bureau of Learning Delivery BLEPT Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers BLGF Bureau of Local Government Finance vii EDCOM II Year One Report BLR Bureau of Learning Resources BNS barangay nutrition scholar BSEd Bachelor of Secondary Education CBT competency-based training CDC child development center CDW child development worker CDW/T child development worker/teacher CG curriculum guide CHED Commission on Higher Education CMO CHED Memorandum Order COCOPEA Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations COD center of development COE center of excellence CPBRD Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department CRLA Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment CSO civil society organization DA Department of Agriculture DATs division achievement tests DBM Department of Budget and Management DECS Department of Education, Culture, and Sports DENR Department of Environment and Natural Resources DepEd Department of Education DICT Department of Information and Communications Technology DILG Department of the Interior and Local Government DLSU De La Salle University DM DepEd Memorandum DO DepEd Order DOE Department of Energy DOF Department of Finance DOH Department of Health viii EDCOM II Year One Report DOLE Department of Labor and Employment DOST Department of Science and Technology DPWH Department of Public Works and Highways DRRM Disaster Risk Reduction and Management DSWD Department of Social Welfare and Development DTI Department of Trade and Industry EBEIS Enhanced Basic Education Information System EBT enterprise-based training ECCD early childhood care and development ECCDC Early Childhood Care and Development Council ECE early childhood education EDCOM I First Congressional Commission on Education EDCOM II Second Congressional Commission on Education EDQ Examinee’s Descriptive Questionnaire EGEP Evaluation of Graduate Education in the Philippines EGMA Early Grades Mathematics Assessment EGRA Early Grades Reading Assessment ELLNA Early Language, Literacy, and Numeracy Assessment EO Executive Order ETEEAP Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program EYA Early Years Act F1KD First 1,000 Days FAAP Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines FHE free higher education FLEMMS Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey FSP Food Stamp Program FY fiscal year GR General Register GAD Gender and Development ix EDCOM II Year One Report GDP gross domestic product GEEAP Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel GER Gross Enrollment Ratio GIDA geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas GPPB Government Procurement Policy Board GPPB-TSO GPPB Technical Support Office HB House Bill HEI higher education institution IB industry board IBT institution-based training ICT information and communications technology ICTO Information Technology and Communications Office IE Wave 3 Third Wave Impact Evaluation ILO International Labour Organization ILO-Ph Improved Learning Outcomes for the Philippines ILSA international large-scale assessment IPCRF Individual Performance Commitment and Review Form KRT key reform thrusts LCE local chief executive LCPC Local Council for the Protection of Children LET Licensure Examination for Teachers LFS Labor Force Survey LGU local government unit LIS Learner Information System LSB local school board LUCs local universities and colleges M/CSWDO Municipal/City Social Welfare and Development Officer MFAT Multi-Factored Assessment Tool MIS management information system MOI medium of instruction x EDCOM II Year One Report MOOE maintenance and other operating expenses MOV means of verification MTB-MLE Mother Tongue–Based Multilingual Education NAST National Academy of Science and Technology NAT National Achievement Test NBDB National Book Development Board NC National Certificate NCAE National Career Assessment Examination NCR National Capital Region NDEP National Drug Education Program NEAP National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines NGA national government agency NGO nongovernmental organization NHTS-PR National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction NLC National Learning Camp NLCA National Learning Camp Assessment NLRP National Learning Recovery Program NMP National Mathematics Program NNC National Nutrition Council NNIS National Nutrition Information System NNQAA National Network of Quality Assurance Agencies NRP National Reading Program NSciTP National Science and Technology Program NSMW National Schools Maintenance Week NTESDP National Technical Education and Skills Development Plan OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development PAASCU Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities PACUCOA Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation xi EDCOM II Year One Report PASUC Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges PBEd Philippine Business for Education PCO Presidential Communications Office PD professional development PDIS Professional Development Information System PEPT Philippine Educational Placement Test PEZA Philippine Economic Zone Authority Phil-IRI Philippine Informal Reading Inventory PHROD Planning, Human Resource, and Organizational Development PIDS Philippine Institute for Development Studies PISA Programme for International Student Assessment PNSL place with no SUC/LUC PQF Philippine Qualifications Framework PQF-NCC Philippine Qualifications Framework–National Coordinating Council PR participation rate PRC Professional Regulation Commission PSA Philippine Statistics Authority PSG Policies, Standards, and Guidelines PSOC Philippine Standard Occupational Classification PTCACS Philippine TVET Competency Assessment and Certification System QA quality assurance QMT quality management team QS Quacquarelli Symonds R/PTESDC Regional and Provincial Technical Education and Skills Development Committees RA Republic Act RATs regional achievement tests RBEC Revised Basic Education Curriculum RCTQ Research Center for Teacher Quality SB Senate Bill xii EDCOM II Year One Report SBM school-based management SDC Social Development Committee SDO school division office SEA-PLM Southeast Asian Primary Learning Metrics SEF Special Education Fund SETG Study on the Employment of TVET Graduates SHS senior high school SIP School Improvement Plan SLMs self-learning modules SMEA School Monitoring, Evaluation, and Adjustment SPG Supreme Pupil Government SRC school report card SSG Supreme Student Government STRIDE Science, Technology, Research, and Innovation for Development SUCs state universities and colleges SUs state universities SY school year TEC Teacher Education Council TechVoc Technical-Vocational TEI Teacher Education Institution TES Tertiary Education Subsidy TESDA Technical Education and Skills Development Authority TIC teacher in charge TIMSS Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study TR training regulation TTI technical training institution TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training TVI technical-vocational institution UAQTEA Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act ULAP Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines xiii EDCOM II Year One Report UniFAST Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education UPCIDS UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies UPPEJA UP President Edgardo J. Angara UPSKILL US–Philippine Partnership for Skills, Innovation and Lifelong Learning USAID United States Agency for International Development UTPRAS Unified TVET Program Registration and Accreditation System WTR with training regulation YES-O Youth for Environment in Schools Organization xiv EDCOM II Year One Report List of Figures Executive Summary Figure 1 ASEAN Performance Overall in PISA 2018 & 2022 l Figure 2 Distribution of Scores of the Top 25% on ASEAN Countries in PISA 2022 Overall li Early Childhood Care and Development Figure 1 Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 Strategy Framework to Improve Education and Lifelong Learning 5 Figure 2 Malnutrition Trends in the Philippines for Children Under Age Five, 1987–2021 16 Figure 3 Effects of Early Childhood Supplementation With and Without Stimulation on Later Development in Stunted Jamaican Children 18 Figure 4 Philippine SDG Targets for Goal 2: Zero Hunger 22 Figure 5 OPT Plus Procedure 32 Figure 6 Day Care Centers per 10,000 Children Aged 3 to 4 Years 42 Figure 7 Distribution and Density of CDCs per 1,000 Children Aged 3 to 4 45 Figure 8 Reasons for Not Attending School for 3–to 4–Year–Old Children 49 Figure 9 Distribution of CDW/Ts by Highest Educational Attainment 50 Figure 10 Distribution and Density of CDWs per 1,000 Children Aged 3 to 4 54 Figure 11 Distribution of Employment Arrangements of CDW/Ts 58 Figure 12 Multisectoral Action for ECCD 61 Figure 13 Expanding ECED Services Through Different Financing Mechanisms 74 Basic Education Figure 1 Enrollment Rates, from 2013–2023 80 Figure 2 Net Enrollment Rates, 2013–2023 80 Figure 3 Dropout Rates, 2015–2022 81 Figure 4 Comparison of Proficiency Levels of Filipino Learners in PISA 2018 and PISA 2022 82 Figure 5 Summary of Successful Procurement of Textbooks (2012–2023) for Grade 1 to Grade 10 84 xv EDCOM II Year One Report Figure 6 DepEd’s Budget Utilization for Textbooks and Other Instructional Materials 85 Figure 7 Key Procurement Challenges in Textbook Development 87 Figure 8 Manuscript and Textbook Flowchart 92 Figure 9 Mapping of Assessments Administered in Basic Education 95 Figure 10 Language of Instruction and Testing at Home: SEA-PLM 2019 Learner Demographics Report 101 Figure 11 Timeline of Administration of National Assessments from SY 2016–2017 to SY 2022–2023 105 Figure 12 Process Flow for National Assessments 107 Figure 13 Test Development Process for National Assessments as Explained in DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016 109 Figure 14 Current Staffing Complement of the Bureau of Education Assessment as of November 2023 112 Higher Education Figure 1 Historical Gross Enrollment Rates in Tertiary Education of ASEAN Member States (1970–2022) 130 Figure 2 Philippine Enrollment Share by Private vs. Public Providers 133 Figure 3 Share of Philippine HEIs with Programs Passing Voluntary Accreditation 138 Figure 4 Distribution of Centers of Excellence (COEs) and Centers of Development (CODs) by Discipline and Institutional Type 139 Figure 5 Distribution of Enrollments per Type of Higher Education Institution in the Philippines 141 Figure 6 Number of Autonomous and Deregulated Private Higher Education Institutions 142 Figure 7 Distribution of State Universities Across Levels 143 Figure 8 Tertiary Education Subsidies Distribution by Eligibility Criteria 150 Figure 9 Map of Koronadal City and Type of HEI Nearby Cities and Municipalities 151 xvi EDCOM II Year One Report Figure 10 Distribution of LUC Enrollments by Region (AY 2018–2019 and AY 2021–2022) 155 Figure 11 Budget Allocation to Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (RA 10931) Programs 156 Teacher Education Figure 1 Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (BLEPT), 2009–2023 179 Figure 2 Percent of Questions Answered Correctly by the Median Teacher, 2014 182 Figure 3 Distribution of Grade 10 High School Teachers’ Preferred Additional Support for Enhancing Classroom Teaching in 2014: A Percentage Analysis 184 Technical-Vocational Education and Training & Lifelong Learning Figure 1 Number of TVET Enrollees and Graduates by Delivery Mode, 2014–2022 211 Figure 2 TVET Graduates by Educational Attainment Before Training, 2012 & 2018 (%) 212 Figure 3 Public and Private TVIs, 2014–2022 213 Figure 4 Enterprise-Based Training Chart 218 Figure 5 TR Development Process 229 Figure 6 Process of Registering a TVET Program 231 Figure 7 Number of TVET Graduates Assessed and Certified from 2014–2022 232 xvii EDCOM II Year One Report Governance and Finance Figure 1 Distribution of Authorized Positions (Plantilla) vis-a-vis the Number of Universities per Region 251 Figure 2 Distribution of Authorized Positions (Plantilla) vis-a-vis the Number of TVIs per Region 252 Figure 3 Comparison of Enrollment per Subsector (SY 1990–1991 and SY 2022–2023) 261 Figure 4 Comparison of Educational Institutions per Subsector (SY 1990–1991 and SY 2022–2023) 262 Figure 5 Public Education Expenditure per Student by Levels of Education, 2015–2020 279 Figure 6 Median SEF Income by LGU Type 281 Figure 7 SEF Income by Region, 2018–2022 284 Figure 8 SEF Income Distribution by LGU Type 285 Figure 9 Average SEF Income of Municipalities by Income Class, 2018–2022 287 Figure 10 Distribution of LGUs Based on SEF Utilization Rate 294 xviii EDCOM II Year One Report List of Tables Early Childhood Care and Development Table 1 Philippine Basic and Early Childhood Education System 11 Table 2 Types of Public ECCD Programs in the Philippines 12 Table 3 ECCD-IS and NETIS Data on Enrollment in Public CDCs for SY 2019-2020 to SY 2022-2023 13 Table 4 Legislative Coverage for Nutrition Policies 19 Table 5 Nutrition Programs Across NGAs 26 Table 6 Changing Needs in Early Childhood Education 40 Table 7 ECCD Program Performance Information, National Expenditure Program (NEP) for FY 2022 43 Table 8 ECCD Program Performance Information, National Expenditure Program (NEP) for FY 2023 44 Table 9 Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028: Indicator 3 Targets 48 Table 10 Staff Qualifications for ECCD-ECE Programs in the Philippines 52 Table 11 Minimum Standards/Requirements for ECCD Teachers in Southeast Asia 55 Table 12 Coordination Across Levels of Governance 66 Table 13 ECCD Sources of Funding: From LGU Budgets 70 Table 14 ECCD Sources of Funding: From NGA Budgets 72 Table 15 Summary of ECCD Source of Funds in the Philippines 73 Table 16 ECCD Governance and Finance in Peru, Indonesia, and Malaysia 74 Basic Education Table 1 Classroom Assessments Administered at Scale 97 Table 2 Description of Contract Lots for National Assessments 104 Table 3 Comparison of Independent and Nonindependent Institutional Arrangements for Assessment Bodies 115 Table 4 Components of the National Recovery Program as of December 31, 2023 121 xix EDCOM II Year One Report Higher Education Table 1 Gross Enrollment Rates in Tertiary Education of ASEAN Member States (2018–2022) 131 Table 2 Enrollment in Private HEIs (2021) 132 Table 3 Quality Assurance Bodies for Philippine Education Institutions 136 Table 4 Number of HEIs in Ranking Brackets of World University Rankings 145 Table 5 Target Matrix of Number of HEIs Under Reputable International Rankings 146 Table 6 Case Study: Public Institutions in Proximate Distance to Koronadal City 151 Table 7 Budget Allocation for the FHE Program in LUCs and SUCs 154 Table 8 Reconstituted Technical Panels 162 Teacher Education Table 1 Chronological Compilation of Laws, Department Orders, and Policies Impacting Teachers Over Time 195 Table 2 Sample Schools and Their Teaching and Nonteaching Staff 198 Technical-Vocational Education and Training & Lifelong Learning Table 1 Number of TVET Enrollees and Graduates by Delivery Mode, 2014–2022 210 Table 2 Updated Number of Training Regulation (TRs) Classified by Level as of June 2023 226 Table 3 Number of Recognized Industry Boards per Sector and Classification as of December 2023 227 Table 4 EDCOM Computations Based on TESDA 2021 SETG 236 Governance and Finance Table 1 National-Level Coordinative Mechanisms 265 Table 2 2022 PISA Scores and Cumulative Education Spending of Selected Countries 275 Table 3 Public Expenditure per Student: Philippines and Selected Countries 2017 USD PPP 277 Table 4 Spending Priorities per Major Expense Category in 2008 Compared to 2018 292 xx EDCOM II Year One Report Preface The current iteration of the EDCOM came into being in 2022 through Republic Act (RA) No. 11899, soon after the results of the 2018 Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) came out. The country’s performance in the said assessment was dismal, to say the least, prompting stakeholders and advocates to declare a crisis in Philippine education. Coupled with a pandemic that further exposed vulnerabilities in the education sector, the issue, already long-standing at that point, became even more pronounced. Alarm bells were heard loud and clear in our legislative halls, and the EDCOM was convened. The first question we were tasked to answer was: Does a crisis really exist? To this, our response is unequivocal: Yes, there is an education crisis. xxi EDCOM II Year One Report This report was not crafted to point fingers; from the onset, we knew that if we were to truly diagnose the ills of Philippine education, punitive thinking must be parked at the door. Our intention, instead, was to find things out and to instill a sense of urgency, along with a sense of doability—a clear horizon, and perhaps a sketch of the map toward that horizon. Such a question need not have taken years of study and consultations to be answered. The crisis is felt in the very bones of the nation—by parents, by educators, by employers, and by students themselves. Our goal for this report, therefore, is to go beyond merely sounding alarm bells that have long been sounded. And while greater public awareness will certainly be helpful, this report intends not only to confirm the existence of the crisis, but more importantly, to discover exactly how such a crisis came to be, and why it has persisted. The Commission’s First Year Report is a level-headed look at the extent of the challenges that our nation faces as regards education: Its context and its roots, and hopefully, approaches and ways forward and out of the current situation. This report was not crafted to point fingers; from the onset, we knew that if we were to truly diagnose the ills of Philippine education, punitive thinking must be parked at the door. Our intention, instead, was to find things out and to instill a sense of urgency, along with a sense of doability—a clear horizon, and perhaps a sketch of the map toward that horizon. xxii EDCOM II Year One Report This report is the product of the Commission’s hard work since it was formally convened on January 23, 2023. Data was gathered, numbers were analyzed, and the stories of teachers and students in the grassroots were heard. Over time, we were able to paint a picture of why the country is performing so poorly. We have strived to make this picture as comprehensive as can be, while acknowledging that it is by no means complete. We invite all to scrutinize our findings; we welcome the expansion of the reservoir of insight that the nation can draw upon as we address the education crisis. Such solidarity is necessary, because the crisis is complex, immense, and has become deeply rooted in a sector that has for many years suffered from piecemeal, albeit well-intentioned, reforms. And if there is one takeaway that we wish the reader might acquire from this report, it is that all of us must work, and must work together. Stakeholders, from the top level of policymaking to the frontlines in our communities, must begin to think of themselves as part of a larger whole. Only then can we create true synergy; only then can we execute a true strategy, build a true system; only then can we shed our disconnects and embark on a collaborative journey that will allow the Filipinos to fulfill their truest potential. 23 January 2024. xxiii EDCOM II Year One Report Senator Sherwin Gatchalian Representative Roman Romulo Co-Chairperson Co-Chairperson EDCOM II EDCOM II Senator Francis Escudero* Representative Mark Go Co-Chairperson Co-Chairperson EDCOM II EDCOM II Senator Sonny Angara Representative Francisco Benitez Commissioner Commissioner EDCOM II EDCOM II Senator Pia Cayetano Representative Khalid Dimaporo Commissioner Commissioner EDCOM II EDCOM II Senator Joel Villanueva Representative Pablo John Garcia Commissioner Commissioner EDCOM II EDCOM II *represented by Senator Aquilino Martin “Koko” Pimentel III xxiv EDCOM II Year One Report Executive Summary As the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) completes its first year, it finds itself in a position to shed light on the context and challenges that need to be confronted in its first priority areas. A system is defined as “a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole.” By this standard, the education system in the Philippines struggles to meet the criteria of a “system.” By the standards of the 1987 Constitution as well, it is short of “a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education.” Instead, agencies, bureaus, and offices have focused on their respective mandates and targets, often independent of one another. This is evident in the challenges uncovered by the Commission in its first year: from the fragmented implementation of ECCD interventions; the disjointed pathways in teacher development (from preservice to licensure, to hiring); the lack of education programs for critical education professionals; the absence of monitoring mechanisms, as well as the inequities reinforced by the Special Education Fund; and the ineffective coordination aggravated by the immoderate number of interagency bodies to which DepEd, CHED, and TESDA need to attend. This, amidst the ever expanding mandates of the 3 agencies, despite their finite number of personnel. xxv EDCOM II Year One Report Ultimately, this has led to the “miseducation”—or plainly, poorly delivered education—of Filipino learners, bringing about a profound education crisis, as has been laid bare by both national and international assessments—issues that the Commission now seeks to squarely address. Early Childhood Care and Development The Philippines has one of the highest prevalence of under-5 stunting in the world, at 26.7%, compared to the global average of 22.3%. Nutrition-specific interventions in the Philippines for children below 5 years old generally adhere to global recommendations, but implementation has been fragmented, coverage remains low, and targeting of interventions has been weak. For instance, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) supplementary feeding program feeds all children in day care centers, despite its mandate under Republic Act (RA) No. 11037 to feed only malnourished children. Meanwhile, data from the Department of Education (DepEd) school- based feeding program show that at most 30% of learners fall back to become “wasted” and “severely wasted” despite months of interventions. To resolve challenges in nutrition in the early years, strong collaboration, equitable resourcing, and clear accountability across the ECCD Council, DepEd, DOH, NNC, DSWD, and LGUs are imperative. Early childhood education is not equally accessible throughout the country. Despite RA 6972 of 1990 requiring each province, city, or municipality to establish a day care center in every barangay, data from the DSWD and Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council show that only 36% have at least 1 child development center (CDC) per day care, or 15,207 out of 42,027 barangays in the country. The lowest coverage of CDCs is seen in Region VIII, with only 479 recorded CDCs out of 4,365 barangays (11%), and in the Cordillera Administrative Region, with only 152 recorded CDCs out of 1,178 barangays (13%). Extreme discrepancies also exist, with first-class municipalities having up to 6 centers for every 10,000 children aged 3–4 versus 1–2 only in sixth-class municipalities. Most day care teachers and workers are aging and lack training in early childhood education (ECE). Fifty-two percent have a college degree, and 17% have only a high school diploma, but few have trained in ECCD. The xxvi EDCOM II Year One Report Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) current undergraduate program in ECE prepares graduates typically for 0–4 years old (Pre-K) and Key Stage 1 (Kindergarten to Grade 3) learners. However, of the 224 higher education institutions (HEIs) offering the ECE teaching program, there have only been 3,993 ECE graduates since 2005, or about 80 annually. This falls short of the demand for Kindergarten teachers alone. As governed by RA 7836 of 1994, ECE graduates specializing in teaching 0-4 year old children who want to take the Licensure Examination for Teachers need to register for the Elementary Level exam, even if it currently encompasses competencies and learning areas for children beyond the early years (0–4). Eighty-nine percent of child development teachers and workers hold nonpermanent positions and receive an average of Php 5,000 per month. Data from DSWD show that 19% receive an honorarium of less than Php 1,000 per month. Worse, according to UNICEF, the average salary is Php 5,000 per month versus the starting salary of a Kindergarten teacher in DepEd of Php 27,000 per month. Basic Education Despite improvements in enrollment rates in basic education over the past decade, concerns persist about the quality of the education system. The Human Capital Index estimates that a Filipino learner who starts school at 4 years old would have received 12.9 years of schooling by age 18; however, factoring in what children learn, this could be equivalent to only 7.5 years. This estimate is based on the performance of the Philippines in various international large-scale assessments in 2018 and 2019. These results are also confirmed by the National Achievement Test (NAT) for Grade 6 (SY 2020– 2021), which shows that students are nearly proficient in Filipino, with a mean percentage score of 54%, but achieved only a low proficiency in Math (41%), English (44%), Araling Panlipunan (44%), and Science (44%). To address issues of quality, EDCOM II focused on the availability of textbooks in public schools, the adequacy and effectiveness of the assessment system, and the review of recent policy reforms in curriculum and instruction. xxvii EDCOM II Year One Report Since 2012, only 27 textbooks have been procured for Kindergarten to Grade 10, despite substantial budget allocations. DepEd’s budget utilization data show that from 2018 to 2022 alone, a total of Php 12.6 billion has been allocated to textbooks and other instructional materials, but only Php 4.5 billion (35.3%) has been obligated and Php 952 million (7.5%) has been disbursed. Out of the 27 key stage assessments scheduled to be conducted from SY 2016–2017 to SY 2022–2023, 24 encountered problems. Thirteen were delayed, and 11 were not administered at all. This has led to a proliferation of assessment activities that inform the short-term decisions of various stakeholders but are not useful for any long-term planning or policymaking. The challenge in system assessments stems from procurement and staffing issues. Contracts for national assessments are typically divided into 3 lots— namely, printing and warehousing, scanning and processing of test results, and delivery and retrieval of materials. From consultations with DepEd, EDCOM II finds that very few vendors have shown interest in bidding for Lots 1 and 2 in recent years due to challenges such as the quarantine requirement and unattractive contract pricing. In terms of staffing, DepEd’s Bureau of Education Assessment (BEA) is responsible for 12 assessment programs annually but has 19 unfilled positions out of its 55 regular and coterminous items. Data from CHED show that of the country’s 2,396 higher education institutions, only 4 offer master’s programs related to educational assessment. These programs maintain low enrollment rates and produce an average of only 7 graduates each year. Thus, while competencies in educational assessment are important for employees of BEA, graduates of the said programs seldom consider working in the bureau. The revised K to 10 curriculum guides can enhance learning outcomes, but teachers cannot implement them without adequate support. Teachers appreciate efforts to decongest the curriculum, but they are also concerned about repeated competencies and are challenged by the spiral progression approach. DepEd claims to have already addressed these in the final version of the curriculum guides, which are now being piloted in 35 schools across 7 regions. Meanwhile, challenges in implementation include time constraints, incomplete teaching and learning resources, and limited facilities. EDCOM II recommends that DepEd address these issues for effective curriculum delivery. xxviii EDCOM II Year One Report The National Learning Recovery Program is a step in the right direction, but many of the components remain unclear and have no implementing guidelines. For example, in the learning camp (an end-of-school-year remediation program), EDCOM II found that learners who were most in need of remediation were often those who did not participate. Further, while baseline and end-line assessments were administered, results remained unavailable, making it difficult to group learners by ability and track their progress. It is imperative that learning recovery efforts, especially in reading, are ramped up urgently, with a focus on Key Stage 1 (Kinder to Grade 3), but also for learners in other grade levels, majority of whom, as data show, are not equipped with these foundational competencies. While using the child’s first language in instruction is consistent with theories in pedagogy, it has been difficult to implement due to the highly centralized structure of DepEd. Higher Education More learners are enrolling in higher education, particularly in public institutions, but a large number of students are dropping out before completing their degrees. The Philippines fares relatively well in terms of gross enrollment rates in tertiary education, at 34.89%, compared to the lower-middle- income countries group average of 25.92%. However, it places close to last when compared to ASEAN peers. The past decades saw a surge in enrollment at state university and college (SUC) satellite campuses (23% of the total) and main campuses (19%). On the other hand, the private school share in enrollment is at its lowest since 1945, at 50%. Despite increases in enrollment, attrition rates have more than doubled within only 3 years, from 20% in 2019 to 41% in 2020. While some progress in providing fair access to higher education has been made, quality higher education remains elusive. Data show the incremental increases in enrollment of the poorest students (lowest decile) from only 1.7% in 1999 to 6.1% in 2019. But during the same period, the enrollment share of autonomous/deregulated HEIs—deemed to have the highest levels of quality among private institutions—dropped from 26% in 2010 to 18% in 2018. xxix EDCOM II Year One Report xxx EDCOM II Year One Report The increase in the number of autonomous/deregulated institutions, and centers of excellence and development has been slow. From 2001 to 2021, the number of autonomous and deregulated private HEIs increased from 53 to only 89. Further, only 182 out of 2,396 HEIs nationwide have centers of excellence or development (COEs or CODs). Notably, 57% of these COEs are in 7 institutions only, 6 of which are in the National Capital Region (NCR). For voluntary accreditation, improvements are likewise modest, from 20% having accredited programs in 2009 to just 29% in 2018. Admittedly, this is affected by various factors, including its voluntary nature, the costs entailed, as well timelines for accreditation. EDCOM II also finds that the reconstitution of technical panels has been incremental, with only 15 out of the 98 required panels being reconstituted, and thus recommends fast-tracking the process to control and assure delivery of quality programs. Most beneficiaries of the tertiary education subsidy were not the poorest. Between 2018 and 2022, the share of the poorest of the poor (Listahanan 2.0 and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries) in the subsidy declined drastically, from 74% to 31%. Instead, the majority of grantees were those in municipalities and cities without SUCs and local universities and colleges (LUCs) (from 26% to 69%). This is contrary to the prioritization prescribed by the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA). Thus, EDCOM II recommended a special provision in the FY 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to enhance targeting and address the issue of equitable access. Enrollment and budgetary allocations to the Free Higher Education Program have increased significantly. The budget, particularly allocated toward the LUCs, has increased by 217% between 2018 and 2022. Notably, regional disparities are prominent, with the largest increases in enrollment seen in the NCR at 530%. From 2018 to 2023, there was a significant increase in the budget for the Free Higher Education Program from 40.02% to 55.15%, whereas the budget for the Tertiary Education Program only marginally increased from 39.84% to 44.40%. xxxi EDCOM II Year One Report Teacher Education Passing rates in the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) have been low, and the quality assurance of teacher education institutions is weak. Between 2009 and 2023, the average passing rate in the licensure examinations for elementary (33%) and secondary (40%) has been dismal compared to passing rates in other professions. Worse, data show that between 2012 and 2022, 77 HEIs offering BEEd and 105 HEIs offering BSEd continued operations despite having consistently zero passing rates in the LET. Enhancement of the Teacher Education Council (TEC) has been at a standstill for 2 years, despite the pressing need for reforms. For all the efforts to improve the governance of teacher education and development, little progress has been made since EDCOM I. Despite the passage of the Excellence in Teacher Education Act, which seeks to strengthen the TEC and address the coordination challenges in the space (passed on April 27, 2022, and its IRR on May 26, 2023), the full operationalization of the Council remains to be awaited. Teachers still bear the burden of administrative and ancillary tasks, despite efforts to allow them to focus on teaching. Teachers continue to be burdened by 50 nonteaching or administrative tasks, based on DepEd’s inventory. While administrative officers have been hired (5,000 per year starting in 2020), the impact remains limited. This is aggravated by the uneven allocation of support staff across schools, with some having more than 500 teachers and only 4 non-teaching personnel. Career advancement and professional development opportunities remain limited. Most teachers lament the scarcity of master teacher positions (due to the 2004 quota system that allows master teacher positions for up to 10% of authorized teacher positions in the district only), which prevents them from getting promoted despite meeting requirements. Meanwhile, teachers also express difficulty in accessing training opportunities, either due to limited slots (for those organized by DepEd) or cost (for private ones). xxxii EDCOM II Year One Report Technical-Vocational Education and Training Participation in technical-vocational education and training (TVET) has increased from 333,789 in 1991 to 2.3 million in 2020. To date, there are only 40 TESDA-recognized industry boards (IBs) at varying levels—national, regional, and provincial. This is concentrated in only 8 industries: agri-fishery (12), with 1 national IB, 5 regional IBs, and 6 provincial IBs; tourism (6), 1 national IB and 5 provincial IBs; construction (4), 1 national IB and 3 provincial IBs; ICT (8), 2 national IBs, 4 regional IBs, and 2 provincial IBs; manufacturing (5), 1 national IB, 2 regional IBs, and 2 provincial IBs; garments (1), 1 provincial IB; creatives (2), 1 regional IB and 1 provincial IB; and logistics (2), 2 regional IBs. Participation in technical-vocational education and training (TVET) has increased from 333,789 in 1991 to 2.3 million in 2020. This was buoyed by the increase in TVET institutions from 1,270 to 4,550 in the same period and the introduction of many student subsidies and scholarships, including the Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA), the Special Training for Employment Program (STEP), the Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP), and the Tertiary Education Subsidy. A large proportion of graduates, however, do not undergo assessment certification (45% in 2021 and 26% in 2022), although passing rates are high for those who do (about 93%). The majority of students are enrolled in community-based training (CBT) programs, constituting 39% of the total enrollment. In fact, between 2014 and 2022, there were 3.7 million trainees. CBT programs, however, are typically not assessed since most are not covered by training regulations, and thus graduates could not gain National Certificates (NCs). On the other hand, only 9% of total TVET enrollment is completed through enterprise-based programs, despite successive TESDA targets to increase this to 40% by 2022. Policies related to enterprise-based training (EBT) are confusing and need to be clarified and streamlined. One major challenge would be the multiple policies covering 6 different forms of EBT, including apprenticeship, dual training systems, learnership, dualized training programs, supervised industry learning (SIL), and the Program on Accelerating Farm School Establishment (PAFSE). Stakeholders expressed the need to simplify and tailor-fit the programs to the unique needs of different industries and learners that could benefit from the program. xxxiii EDCOM II Year One Report Sixty-four percent of programs with training regulations are lower-skill (NC 1 and NC 2). TESDA data further show that the proportion of training regulations with NCs 3 and 4 is only 35%. Meanwhile, most registered programs are in NC 2 (56%). Meanwhile, there are very few training regulations available for NC 4 (7%) and no training regulations for NC 5. This is concerning given the analysis that shows that improvements in income before and after training are substantial only for those completing NCs 3 and 4. Out of a total of 1,888 programs, only 315 have corresponding training regulations (TRs), leaving a significant number of programs with no training regulations (NTR). This means that less than 15% of the training programs of TESDA lead to a National Certificate. During consultations, it was revealed that TR development could take from 6 months to 2 years, making it difficult for training programs to be nimble enough to respond to the rapidly changing needs of industry. Industry participation remains limited and prohibitive, while processing times for TESDA are slow. To date, there are only 40 TESDA-recognized industry boards (IBs) at varying levels—national, regional, and provincial. This is concentrated in only eight industries: Agri-fishery (12) with 1 National IB, 5 Regional IBs, and 6 Provincial IBs; Tourism (6). During EDCOM consultations, industries decried the voluminous paperwork, the rigid but obsolete requirements, and the long processing times of TESDA. For instance, the TESDA Board, which approves training regulations, only met once in 2022 and twice in 2023. These boards are strategically focused on 8 distinct industries, showcasing a varied distribution: This distribution underscores the current framework of TESDA’s recognition in fostering skill development and standardization within specific sectors at different geographical levels. The shortage of instructors, assessors, and certifiers from industry is a binding constraint. During the consultations, it was noted that some instructors and trainers from TVIs have been pirated by SHSs that offer the TVL track. It was identified that there is a need for an additional 11,838 competency assessors to facilitate the assessment and certification of students enrolled in the SHS TVL track. During the Visayas consultations, it was repeatedly mentioned that students are not assessed because there are no assessors in their area. This is problematic because transportation would add to the cost of their training. xxxiv EDCOM II Year One Report Governance and Finance The staffing levels in CHED and TESDA have not kept pace with the growing responsibilities of the agencies and the increased investments in education from both public and private sectors. CHED’s budget increased by 633% from 2013 to 2023, but the agency’s staffing complement only increased by 22.7%, from 543 to 666 within the same period. In particular, staffing in field offices remains lean. CHED’s regional offices have only 20–28 regular personnel, while TESDA’s provincial offices only have 7–12 staff with plantilla. As for DepEd, preliminary analysis suggests there are deficits of over 10,000 administrative officer positions in public schools based on staffing standards issued by the DBM in 1997. In the absence of support staff, administrative tasks are taken on by teachers and school heads, affecting their ability to carry out primary responsibilities, which in turn impacts the quality of learning outcomes. The failure to permanently establish a high-level coordinating body as envisioned by EDCOM I has resulted in a long-standing lack of effective coordination between the education agencies since trifocalization took place in the 1990s. In the absence of this coordinating body, at least 68 interagency bodies have been established to enable coordination on a broad range of concerns. The amount of time required to attend to all these bodies suggests that the current situation is impracticable. There is misalignment in the systems and accountability frameworks intended to monitor and oversee performance at the system, agency, and individual levels within the public sector. These fail to hold individuals accountable and to incentivize enhanced performance. Best practices in the performance management systems of Punjab, Pakistan; New South Wales in Australia; and Indonesia show possible ways forward: adopt an outcome- oriented and holistic perspective in crafting few but easy-to-understand targets; differentiate targets across different management systems; use performance management as a diagnostic tool rather than a punitive measure; account for systemic equity; and put in place an accompanying system of support to drive improvements. xxxv EDCOM II Year One Report While there has been substantial growth in both public and private sector investments in education since EDCOM I, the country’s level of investment falls short when compared to its better-performing ASEAN neighbors. Analysis of PISA results suggests that cumulative education expenditure per student from age 6 to 15 is associated with good performance. The Philippines currently has a cumulative spending of USD 11,000 (PPP), which is far from the USD 50,000 threshold, at which the positive relationship tapers off. There is a marked disparity in the special education fund (SEF) income among different types of LGUs. Municipalities are the worst off, with a median SEF income of Php 1.6 million, or a mere 4% of the median SEF income of cities and provinces. Analysis of SEF income distribution also shows that the SEF income of a typical city or province would be at least 4 times higher than that of a typical municipality. However, there is a considerable gap even between municipalities, with first-income class municipalities having 68 times more SEF income than their sixth-income class peers. This indicates that expanding the use of the SEF beyond supplementing the budgetary needs of school operations would put particular LGUs at a severe disadvantage without measures that enable equitable allocation. Current levels of school maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) budgets are insufficient to fully cover the operating costs of public elementary and high schools. EDCOM II consultations with school heads and teachers found that 30%–70% of the school MOOE budget is spent on utility bills alone, which leaves meager funds available for improvement projects and initiatives that could address local needs and support better learning. Efforts to empower schools and local communities through the adoption of school-based management (SBM) face challenges such as dependence on foreign-assisted projects, frequent turnover of education leadership, and a deeply ingrained hierarchical organizational culture resulting from years of centralization, which constrain the ability of SBM to genuinely revolutionize basic education at the grassroots level. Despite these setbacks, there continues to be support for decentralization at the local level. Informal and ad-hoc devolution of education responsibilities and functions is already being implemented locally, but the absence of a formal policy hinders local actors from taking a more active role and reaping the full benefits of devolution—faster, more focused responses, and innovative solutions that address local context and needs. xxxvi EDCOM II Year One Report EDCOM Year 1 Recommendations Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Priority 1: Nutrition and Feeding 1. Study the equitable allocation of resources by identifying better targeting mechanisms and coverage for nutritionally at-risk children to create a long-term and sustainable impact of health and nutrition programs. Prioritizing the equitable distribution of resources, especially in lower-income municipalities, can ensure that each child has access to health and nutrition interventions that are critical to early childhood care and development. 2. Find possible complementarities of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Food Stamp Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. This is in recognition that the challenge of nutrition demands a multisectoral solution for addressing the intricacies of maternal and child health and nutrition comprehensively. EDCOM I isproposed a comprehensive set of evidence-based nutrition interventions during the early years. This is reflected in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2024, where Php 300 million is specifically designated for nutritionally at-risk pregnant mothers and children below 5 years old in fifth- and sixth-class municipalities exhibiting more than or equal to 15% stunting rates in nonfood stamp sites. There should be interventions that aim to complement the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project, emphasizing a concerted effort to address nutrition challenges comprehensively. Priority 2: Supply-Side Factors 3. Development of a universal ECCD database. Consolidated data from multisectoral and interagencies are essential for the purpose of systematic monitoring, reporting, and targeted intervention. This will xxxvii EDCOM II Year One Report empower agencies to align efforts, allocate resources, and implement interventions efficiently. 4. Expansion of the ECCD provisions to encompass private, community- based, and home-based programs. To achieve universal access to ECCD, especially for ages 3–4, it is imperative to expand and support alternative delivery modes. 5. Develop education pathways for child development workers/teachers through certificate programs by the Technical Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). EDCOM II has formally requested TESDA and CHED to undertake the development of training regulations (for National Certificates) and Policies, Standards, and Guidelines (for associate degrees). Both agencies have committed to initiating this process. 6. Create plantilla positions for child development workers and teachers. Priority 4: Governance and Financing of ECCD 7. Strengthening the ECCD Council Governing Board to include the Department of the Interior and Local Government. 8. Include a representative of ECCD on the local school board. The above 3 interventions (Recommendations 6, 7, and 8) are in the bill filed by EDCOM II Commissioners through provisions in the Basic Education and Early Childhood Alignment Act, or Senate Bill No. 2029 and House Bill No. 8393, authored by Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, EDCOM II co-chair, and Representative Jose Francisco B. Benitez, who serves as co-chair for the standing committee on ECCD. 9. Study complementarities in service delivery on the ground: local councils for the protection of children, barangay nutrition scholars, and barangay health workers. 10. Establish equity-oriented funding and policy interventions. This should focus on ensuring access to child development centers, as well as the resourcing of nutrition programs, in fifth- and sixth-class municipalities and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas. xxxviii EDCOM II Year One Report Basic Education Priority 5: Learning Resources 11. For the Department of Education (DepEd) to look into the possibility of procuring books that are already available on the market rather than engaging publishers to develop new ones. EDCOM II urged DepEd to review its strategy for ensuring timely textbook procurement for the upcoming school year. Given that the estimated duration of the procurement process under the new policy takes a year, DepEd must be prepared to provide alternative teaching and learning resources if it intends to roll out the MATATAG curriculum in SY 2024–2025. Priority 6: Measurement of Learning Outcomes 12. The Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) must be reviewed. FLEMMS’s framework and results are published and widely disseminated; however, the results of FLEMMS are not used by DepEd for planning curricular interventions. One possible reason is that the definitions of basic literacy and functional literacy measured by the parameters of FLEMMS do not necessarily match the literacies measured by DepEd. 13. For DepEd to streamline the current assessment landscape in basic education as a temporary measure. DepEd should develop a cohesive, unified assessment framework that comprehensively encompasses all levels of assessments. The implementation of standardized assessments at the regional and division levels should also be discouraged, provided that DepEd can assure the consistent administration and timely release of results for national key stage assessments, such as the National Achievement Test and the Early Language, Literacy, and Numeracy Assessment. 14. Modernize test administration, emphasizing investment in essential components such as infrastructure, staffing, and training that are vital for the successful implementation of computer-based assessments. This will alleviate the multitude of procurement challenges associated with traditional paper-based tests while enhancing data collection and analysis and ensuring prompt release and analysis of assessment results. xxxix EDCOM II Year One Report 15. Expand the staffing complement within the Bureau of Education Assessment and place emphasis on the need for implementing comprehensive training and mentoring programs. Priority 7: Curriculum and Instruction 16. For DepEd to address issues hindering teachers from delivering quality instruction prior to the full implementation of the revised curriculum. These include teacher training and the development and distribution of learning resources. DepEd should also formulate a contingency plan to ensure that teachers and learners will have adequate learning resources by the upcoming school year. To complement initiatives to assess and evaluate the curriculum and instruction, the EDCOM II Commissioners from the House of Representatives approved House Bill (HB) No. 6717, a bill suspending the implementation of the Mother Tongue– Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE), under Sec. 4 of Republic Act (RA) No. 10533, otherwise known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, which mandates the use of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction or first language from Kindergarten to Grade 3. HB 6717 was approved on the third reading on February 6, 2023. It was transmitted to and received by the Senate on February 7, 2023, and further hearings were conducted by the Senate Committee on Basic Education. The Committee Report was calendared for ordinary business on November 22, 2023. The suspension of the MTB-MLE is also being considered in Senate Bill (SB) No. 2457, An Act Redefining the Application of the Mother Tongue as Medium of Instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 3, Amending for the Purpose Sections 4 and 5 of RA 10533 by Senator Gatchalian. xl EDCOM II Year One Report 17. For DepEd to consider the consultation findings of EDCOM II in their implementation of the National Learning Recovery Program. a. Conduct regular and timely assessments that yield granular data on learner progress; b. Group learners according to their level of proficiency rather than their grade level; c. Prioritize foundational skills in reading, writing, and numeracy, as well as socioemotional learning; and d. Mobilize parents and the community to provide the interventions as support to teachers. In parallel with the consultation of existing learning recovery programs and initiatives of DepEd, EDCOM II Commissioners filed legislation to provide systematic learning interventions to improve learning outcomes through the proposed ARAL Program Act, An Act Establishing an Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, Appropriating Funds Therefor, and for Other Purposes (SB 1604 by Senator Gatchalian et al. and HB 8210 by Representative Romulo et al.). ​ Higher Education Priority 11a: Access to Quality Education 18. Prioritize the poorest of the poor for the Tertiary Education Subsidy. EDCOM II proposed a special provision in the GAA 2024 that aims to reemphasize the prioritization of students from Listahanan 3.0 and the 4Ps categories (GAA FY 2024, Volume I-B, p. 484). This initiative is geared toward fostering more equitable access to tertiary education, making it imperative that the implementation of this reprioritization by the Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education be closely supervised in the upcoming year. On top of aligning the targeting mechanisms with the objectives of the Act, a reassessment of the definition of “access” is also recommended. xli EDCOM II Year One Report 19. Imperative to the success of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act is addressing the consequences of Free Higher Education through the following recommendations: a. Provide adequate and rationalized support to public higher education institutions (HEIs) while considering the pressing concerns of public financial sustainability; b. Strictly monitor the public sector to ensure that it does not exceed its respective carrying capacities; c. Take into account the crowding out effect on private higher education providers to foster complementarity; d. Explore alternative financing models (e.g., voucher system and Student Financial Assistance Programs, or StuFAPs) to enhance student accessibility to quality education in private HEIs while simultaneously relieving the crowding out effect. EDCOM II Commissioners filed SB 360 and HB 7922, amending RA 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, to include a voucher system for qualified private HEIs and technical-vocational institutions. HB 7922 by Representative Mark Go et al. was approved on the third reading and transmitted to the Senate on May 24, 2023. SB 1360 by Senator Chiz Escudero et al. is pending on second reading. Priority 11b: Quality Assurance 20. For CHED to fast-track the reconstitution of the remaining 83 technical panels to uphold and maintain the quality of programs offered by HEIs. On top of this, their reconstitution must be monitored in year 2 so that skills taught to and gained by students meet the dynamic demands of the labor market. 21. Strengthen the relationship between CHED and accreditation agencies with clearer terms of engagement to ensure complementarity between both parties and improve the quality assurance mechanisms in the higher education ecosystem. Also, examine constraints to accreditation of HEIs. 22. Actively review and revise the existing horizontal typology and aims to develop a system grounded in empirical evidence that accurately reflects the current characteristics and diversity of HEIs. xlii EDCOM II Year One Report As part of quality assurance initiatives, EDCOM II adopted Representative Go’s HB 7990, or “An Act Strengthening the Establishment and Operations of HEIs” to improve the external governance of higher education. Teacher Education Priority 16: Alignment of CHED, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), and DepEd (Including the Teacher Education Council) on Teacher Education and Development 23. Conduct an independent study to assess the PRC’s true level of policy adoption and scrutinize the validity and reliability of the Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers. EDCOM II filed HB 8559, which seeks to amend the Teachers Professionalization Act, or RA 7836. The bill, authored by EDCOM Commissioners, namely, Representatives Go, Romulo, Benitez, Dimaporo, and Garcia—was filed on June 22, 2023, and is currently pending with the House Committee on Civil Service Professional Regulation. Priority 18: In-Service Training and Development, Including Teacher Welfare 24. Standardize school staffing and organizational structure to streamline workload distribution. The provision of an Administrative Officer II at the school level, while helpful, cannot alleviate all the assigned ancillary tasks for teachers. 25. Assign the Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development as the clearinghouse for school ancillary and nonteaching tasks. The clearinghouse is tasked with reviewing and proposing policies and programs and their implications for teacher workload. Additionally, it will maintain an inventory of official school processes and tasks assigned to teachers affecting their workload, make recommendations for possible streamlining and/or harmonization, and review and provide recommendations on congressional measures with implications for teacher workload. xliii EDCOM II Year One Report 26. Establish a national Professional Development Information System (PDIS), a computer-based system to track teachers’ professional development that integrates the HRIS (Human Resource Information System) with the a) professional profiles (such as education degree/s, specialization, and trainings attended), b) professional needs; and career stages of teachers and school heads. 27. Review the Human Resource Development Fund’s allocation, planning, availment, and utilization processes. An evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of the Recognition System of the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) is suggested to examine the implementation of needs assessments on the ground and assist NEAP in developing a functional Professional Development Information System. 28. Review the quality and responsiveness of preservice teacher education. Given the changes in the basic education curriculum, the PSGs of the different teacher education programs need to ensure that the specializations match the needs of schools and learners. Technical-Vocational Education and Training & Lifelong Learning Priority 20: Industry Involvement and Investment in Upskilling Programs 29. Review scholarship policies to be more responsive to the unique needs and challenges faced by Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) learners. 30. Rationalize policies on Enterprise-Based Training. EDCOM II Commissioners filed SB 363 and HB 7400, or the Enterprise-Based Education and Training to Employment Act. SB 363, filed by Senator Joel Villanueva, is currently at the technical working group level; while HB 7400, authored by Representative Mark Go, was approved on the third reading at the House of Representatives. xliv EDCOM II Year One Report EDCOM II adopted SB 364, Lifelong Learning Development Framework Act by Senator Villanueva. The bill mandates the development of a lifelong learning framework to be developed by the Philippine Qualifications Framework–National Coordinating Council. EDCOM II adopted HB 7370 by Representative Go, creating a Tripartite Council. The Tripartite Council introduced in the bill shall formulate policies and programs to address the job–skills mismatch in the country. It shall be a coordinating body among the government, academe, and industry sectors to primarily monitor economic trends in the global and domestic markets. HB 7370 was approved on the third reading on March 21, 2023, and transmitted to the Senate on March 22, 2023. The Senate Committee on Higher Education has already adopted the bill on August 1, 2023, and is now waiting for the Committee Report. Priority 21: Ensuring Quality in Providing TVET for Better Jobs 31. Improve data collection processes for a more efficient trainee tracing system within the TVET sector. Employ robust data collection mechanisms, potentially incorporating advanced analytics and tracking technologies, to yield accurate insights into the employment outcomes and career paths of TVET graduates. 32. Align the student Study on the Employment of TVET Graduates data with the Labor Force Survey (LFS) for seamless tracing. Refine the wording of questions related to educational attainment and incorporate Philippine Standard Occupational Classification codes to enhance analysis and ease the tracing of TESDA program takers. According to TESDA, there are ongoing discussions with the Philippine Statistics Authority to better align data collection to accurately capture TVET in the LFS. 33. Develop a centralized management information system of TESDA that traces the creation, delivery, and lifespan of all TESDA programs and a similar version for trainees, possibly in collaboration with the Department of Information and Communications Technology. 34. Increase in funding for training programs and expanding scholarship opportunities to cater to more learners in need. Adequate funding is fundamental to overcoming financial barriers that often hinder access to quality vocational training. xlv EDCOM II Year One Report 35. Initiate a paradigm shift toward an industry-driven incentive framework to foster a more conducive environment for industry participation. The active involvement of industries in designing and implementing incentive programs ensures that these initiatives align with their needs and encourages active engagement. In addition, crucial components of a holistic solution are advocating for increased funding and developing a comprehensive strategy to gain industry “buy-in.” Governance and Finance Priority 23: Seamless and Integrated Delivery of Education 36. Study the establishment of a national-level coordinating mechanism. 37. Study how the capacity to exercise oversight of both the Office of the President and the Legislature could be strengthened. This would ensure continuous technical support across political administrations, particularly in tracking the attainment of long-term targets in education. 38. Sustain increases in education investments. It is important, however, to ensure that these resources are allocated in an equitable manner, strategically impact learning outcomes (e.g., early childhood education and nutrition), and utilized on time. 39. Review the Boncodin Formula used to compute the School MOOE budget. In particular, the different cost drivers of school operational expenses across varied contexts to ensure that future updates to the formula are responsive to the needs of schools, as well as equity in resource allocations. 40. Formulate a framework that guides how the provincial Special Education Fund (SEF) could complement the municipal SEF in the interest of promoting equitable and needs-based allocation. xlvi EDCOM II Year One Report Acknowledgements The Commission would like to thank the members of the Legislation and Policy Advisory Council for their expertise, the members of the Standing Committees for their proactive participation, and the Technical Secretariat for their hard work and dedication in the past year. We appreciate the support of our education agencies: the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, in sharing data, participating and facilitating our consultations, and providing comments to this Report. We also extend our thanks to the Early Childhood Care and Development Council, the Department of Health, the National Nutrition Council, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Budget and xlvii EDCOM II Year One Report Management, the Department of Finance, the Professional Regulation Commission, and the Philippine Statistics Authority. We would also like to acknowledge the Commission’s research arm, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, for their tireless research work. We also commend the University of the Philippines for reviving the UP President Edgardo J. Angara Fellowship, as well as De La Salle University for mobilizing their scholars to support the work of the Commission. Likewise, we are grateful to our partners who have supported and enriched our work: Asian Development Bank, Ateneo de Manila University, Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, British Embassy Manila, British Council, IDinsight, Innovations for Poverty Action, Metrobank Foundation, Philippine Business for Education, United States Agency for International Development specifically: Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines, Improving Learning Outcomes, Opportunity 2.0, US-Philippine Partnership for Skills, Innovation, and Lifelong Learning, Youthworks PH–Teach for the Philippines, The World Bank, and WeSolve Foundation. Finally, we wish to express particular appreciation to the pubishing team of this report, headed by its publisher, Ani Rosa Almario Ph.D., as well as R. Jordan P. Santos, Emylou V. Infante, Vanessa L. Pamittan, Rosemarie Grace C. Del Castillo, Benjamin C. Quinajon, Pierre Angelica C. Rañon, Gian Lao, Mikael Co, Mavreen Jackie P. Yapchiongco, Bettina Medina-Tapalla, and Luigi C. Conti. Photographs were contributed by Jilson Tiu and George Calvelo, assisted by Nica Cellini Catanes, and from the office of Senator Win Gatchalian. xlviii EDCOM II Year One Report Introduction “I wish I could actually spend time teaching” is a common lament among teachers in the Philippine public school system. In our many consultations in the past year, teachers around the country, including Manila, Iloilo, Negros, and Davao, revealed this widespread concern: that they spent majority of their work hours doing anything but teaching. They manage school canteens and school-based feeding programs, oversee Gulayan sa Paaralan and the National Drug Education Program, serve as the school’s engineering administrators and registrars, coordinate the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program), and even spend approximately 70 out of 220 school days entering data into the DepEd system.1 Basically, diverting them from what they aspired to do and actually studied for: teaching. 1 Based on an analysis conducted by the Analytics Association of the Philippines, which EDCOM is currently confirming in the studies it is undertaking xlix EDCOM II Year One Report We feared there was a deep-rooted education crisis in the country, and we wanted to confirm its existence, as well as severity. Confirmation would mean it is time for something more drastic: to retool the entire education system because decades of earnest but incremental reforms still fell short of what Filipino learners deserved. The first Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) was established to systematically review the problems of our Education system after the Philippine Government’s reformation in 1986. This second one, however, stemmed from our country’s dismal performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2018. We feared there was a deep-rooted education crisis in the country, and we wanted to confirm its existence, as well as severity. Confirmation would mean it is time for something more drastic: to retool the entire education system because decades of earnest but incremental reforms still fell short of what Filipino learners deserved. More recently, the 2022 PISA results show that our performance remains the same. Grade 10 Filipinos scored lowest among all ASEAN countries in Math, Reading, and Science, besting only Cambodia (see Figure 1) with more than 75% of our learners scoring lower than Level 2, or the minimum level of proficiency in Math, Reading, and Science. This was the case for most of our schools, public or private. Alarmingly, data also shows that our best learners are comparable only to the average student in Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, and Vietnam, and correspond to the worst performers in Singapore. l EDCOM II Year One Report FIGURE 1 Asean Performance Overall in PISA 2018 and 2022 Singapore Viet Nam Malaysia Brunei Darussalam 2022 OECD Average 2018 OECD Average Thailand Indonesia Philippines Cambodia 350 400 450 500 550 Mean Score PISA 2018 PISA 2022 Note: Cambodia did not participate in PISA 2018. If there is anything this report aims to impart on its readers, it is this: There is an education crisis in the country. In 1940, the Commonwealth government made primary education compulsory. In 1953, as the country recovered from the Second World War, compulsory education was extended to Grade 6. We abolished tuition fees in public high schools in 1989, made Kindergarten compulsory in 2012, and expanded our basic education system to include Grades 11 and 12 in 2013. Most recently, we eliminated tuition fees in all state colleges and universities in 2017. While these developments seem progressive for a developing country, a literature review li EDCOM II Year One Report FIGURE 2 Distribution of Scores of the Top 25% on ASEAN Countries in PISA 2022 Overall 800 700 600 Score 500 ASEAN Overall 400 Average 300 200 100 PH-Cambodia PH-Indonesia PH-Malaysia PH-Thailand PH-Brunei PH-Viet Nam PH-Singapore Darussalam Note: The shaded portions in the graph above represent the top 25% of learners in the sample of the population of every ASEAN country’s learners in the 2022 PISA, averaging their performance in Math, Reading, and Science. from these eras reveals persistent fundamental issues, some dating back to the 1925 Monroe Survey Report—insufficient classrooms, subpar teaching quality, and overburdening teachers with nonteaching tasks. This report summarizes the initiatives and preliminary findings of EDCOM II in its first year. Ultimately, as the Commission continues its work in the next two years, it aims to grasp the scale of these problems, meet them at their very root, and propose policies that could solve them once and for all. lii EDCOM II Year One Report Some of our most basic education indicators look encouraging. In the past decade, Kindergarten participation swelled from only 2.1% in 2013,2 to 66% in 2021.3 Elementary participation rate has remained above 95% since the 1970s. Secondary participation improved— going from 65% in the 1980s to 90% in 2015, while our higher education participation rate of 35% is above average when compared against other lower-middle- income countries. The 1987 Constitution mandates that the education sector receive the biggest proportion of the national budget—and in almost four decades since, government investments in education have increased. In the last 14 years alone, annual spending on education per student has nearly tripled from Php 7,876 to Php 20,834 (PIDS, 2021). In 2022, education investments reached 3.58% of the GDP, nearing UNESCO recommendation of 4%. Despite this, the OECD estimates that the country’s cumulative expenditure from age 6 to 15 is only at $11,000, compared to the OECD average of $75,000 in 2019. Perhaps the only explanation for such a gulf between the optimistic- seeming PIDS numbers and the pessimistic-seeming OECD estimates is this: There is simply that much ground to cover. In other words, though we are still behind now, we are still much better off than in the past. Despite numerous efforts to fix all these problems, the vicious cycle continues. In the three decades between the two EDCOMs, we saw the Presidential Commission on Educational Reform (1998), the Third Elementary Education Project (1999), the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (2006), and most recently, Sulong EduKalidad (2020). Nonetheless, reforms have not taken root. 2 PSA FLEMMS 2013. 3 UNICEF SEA-PLM Policy Brief 2021, “Harness the potential of early childhood education for long-term benefits on children’s learning,” based on DepEd 2021 Key Education Statistics. liii EDCOM II Year One Report Scholars have criticized the sector’s inability to implement reforms due to frequent changes in leadership, resistance to change within the government, and the agency’s “culture of obeisance” (Bautista et al., 2008)— a polite, if inaccessible, term for a bureaucracy accustomed to jaded compliance. This is due to various factors. Scholars have criticized the sector’s inability to implement reforms due to frequent changes in leadership, resistance to change within the government, and the agency’s “culture of obeisance” (Bautista et al., 2008)—a polite, if inaccessible, term for a bureaucracy accustomed to jaded compliance. On the other hand, we must acknowledge our country’s rapid population growth, and how our demand for education rapidly outpaced our means to provide it—a recurring theme since the post-war era (Isidro, 1957). This challenge is not unique to the Philippines. Many developing countries are confronted by similar challenges when trying to expand access to education. But the universality of this problem does not diminish the harm inflicted on millions of Filipino learners. We must realize that participation rates will be meaningless if our students are unable to add simple numbers and read simple texts, despite having a diploma. This should prompt a turn towards quality, not quantity. liv EDCOM II Year One Report As we proceed in our work, the Commission understands that genuine solutions require the knowledge and experience of people who are on the ground, in our schools. The Philippines has never lacked well-meaning education advocates or willing, passionate teachers. If this problem could be solved overnight, then it would have been solved long ago. It is difficult to identify a problem when everything is a problem— and the ones that confront us are complex, often requiring not just technical solutions or money, but also intense political resolve and cultural shifts. Thus, this second EDCOM has embarked on its mission guided by the following principles: Effective diagnosis is a prerequisite for finding adaptive solutions. Given the urgency of our problem, EDCOM’s intention is to go through the legislative process as quickly as possible, and so it frontloads data gathering and consultations to inform proposed legislation. We recruited the country’s top minds to support our work. Advisory Council and Standing Committee members come from a broad range of expertises and backgrounds, as the Commission undertakes 90 research projects in partnership with the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS) and our best universities. This enables us to put forward policies that are grounded on empirical evidence. Addressing multiple issues simultaneously requires prioritization. At the onset, the Commission conducted consultations, and a thorough evaluation of the most pressing concerns that affect learning outcomes, from early childhood to higher education. Through this, we identified 28 priorities that will promote equitable access, while focusing heavily on factors that relate to quality of lv EDCOM II Year One Report education. Within these 28 priorities, the Commission has also agreed to first of all tackle issues in building foundational skills, specifically literacy and numeracy, in Key Stage 1 (K to 3). For year 1 (2023), EDCOM focused on 12 of the most urgent reforms. It should not be about finger pointing. Based on our initial findings, most of these issues have abided for decades, across administrations, compounded by sociocultural realities, and complicated by crisscrossing policies across government. Instead of pointing fingers, our primary intent is to understand the problems, and to cut them at their roots. “Learning does not happen at the Central Office.” This borrows the wisdom of our Advisory Council Member Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ. As we proceed in our work, the Commission understands that genuine solutions require the knowledge and experience of people who are on the ground, in our schools. We have thus conducted, and will continue to hold, extensive consultations with stakeholders all over the country. In year 1 alone, the findings are informed by 19 hearings, 12 focused group discussions and 23 site visits. This included locating and learning from “positive deviants” in the country, or those that have succeeded in delivering quality education despite facing similar constraints. This was paralleled by the release of green papers that aim to solicit direct inputs from stakeholders and the general public. To date, 114 submissions have been received and considered by the Standing Committees. National-level policies are only one of many levers to reform. Unlike the context faced by EDCOM I, the current architecture of the Philippine education system is already buttressed by many laws and implemented by multiple agencies of government. There remain instances where there is a need to rationalize, amend, or fill gaps lvi EDCOM II Year One Report While the report shares concrete policy recommendations that the Commission has already acted on in the past year— whether in the form of a bill, advocating for budget allocations in the 2024 budget, or by collaborating with the concerned agencies—it also outlines initial policy directions that will be deliberated further in year 2. in legislation, but the Commission is also cognizant that there are other levers to implement change. These include budgetary allocations through the annual General Appropriations Act, refinements to implementing guidelines issued by agencies, ordinances passed by local government units, and initiatives of many civil society organizations committed to improving education quality. As we share the key findings of the Commission we also note the following: These are preliminary findings based on available data, which provide initial insight on 12 priority areas. We anticipate further refinement of these findings and recommendations in the coming years, culminating in our final report in year 3. While the report shares concrete policy recommendations that the Commission has already acted on in the past year—whether in the form of a bill, advocating for budget allocations in the 2024 budget, or by collaborating with the concerned agencies—it also outlines initial policy directions that will be deliberated further in year 2. lvii EDCOM II Year One Report The report should thus be seen as a snapshot of where we are in our work in EDCOM and as an education system at this point. The Commission reserves