COMMITTEE on Basic Education Chairman Sherwin Gatchalian is hoping that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address or SONA will tackle reforms to address the country’s education crisis.

When President Marcos delivers his SONA on Monday (22 July 2024), the Department of Education will already be under the leadership of Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara.

According to Gatchalian, the SONA should be an occasion for the President to publicly give his marching orders on the basic education sector, which should include clear targets that the administration should accomplish until 2028.

“Umaasa ako na tatalakayin ng ating Pangulo sa kanyang SONA ang mga repormang kinakailangan upang iangat ang kalidad ng edukasyon sa bansa at tugunan ang krisis na bumabalot sa sektor. Mahalagang pagkakataon ang SONA upang talakayin ang mga kinakailangang reporma, lalo na’t may bago nang liderato ang DepEd,” said Gatchalian.

The President previously told the new DepEd chief that he wants senior high school graduates to be job ready.

To realize this goal, Gatchalian is pushing for the passage of his proposed ‘Batang Magaling Act’ or the Senate Bill No. 2367, which seeks to align the senior high school program with market needs identified by industry partners and government agencies.

The proposed measure also seeks to institutionalize free national competency assessments for the awarding of national certifications.

The ARAL Program Act or the Senate Bill No. 1604, which Gatchalian authored, is included in the priority measures of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

The ARAL Program seeks to provide a national learning intervention program, which shall include well-systematized tutorial sessions and well-designed intervention plans.

Gatchalian added that the Second Congressional Commission will continue working with the administration to push for needed reforms.