IN A RECENT briefing at the House of Representatives, EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Rep. Mark Go has voiced strong support for education reforms following the release of EDCOM 2’s Year Two Report.

The session, attended by fellow Co-Chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo and other members of the House of Representatives, was led by Executive Director Karol Mark Yee of the Second Congressional Commission on Education.

During the joint committee meeting of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education and the Committee on Basic Education, chaired by Rep. Go and Rep.  Romulo, EDCOM 2 discussed key findings and developments from the report, and laid the groundwork for potential legislative actions aimed at tackling these pressing issues.

EDCOM 2’s Year Two Report, released last January 27, shed light on pressing concerns in Philippine education. In higher education, high attrition rates in tertiary education stand at a disturbing 39 percent national dropout rate. Alongside this, there has been a significant reduction in the subsidy for tertiary education among the poorest—from 74.24 percent in 2018 to just 30.74 percent in 2022.

Further issues include the misalignment of higher education policies, where the existing rigid, research-focused approach does not suit all institutions. The Philippines also faces challenges in strengthening its position in the global education market, hindered by a low ratio of researchers per capita and restrictive visa policies that hold up international student enrollment.

Through the Commission’s urging, recent developments have been made, which include advocating for the prioritization of the poorest students in the Tertiary Education Subsidy and the deliberation of bills to expand the coverage of the TES.

Spearheaded by Rep.  Go, HB 9982, a bill on strengthening the establishment and operation of HEIs, was approved on its third reading on March 19, 2024. Additionally, HB 10251, or the Dual Citizenship Bill (Amending RA 9225) which facilitates the appointment of faculty, researchers, and administrators with dual citizenship in public higher education institutions, was approved on August 13, 2024.

Rep. Go, chairman of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, in his statement, emphasized the urgency of reforms.

“We are at a crucial point where decisive action is needed to reform our education system,” he noted.

“The findings of EDCOM 2 lay a clear roadmap for what needs to be done, and we are committed to ensuring that these recommendations do not just remain on paper but are acted upon with the utmost urgency.”