THE Senate adopted on Tuesday a resolution commending De La Salle University for its research partnership agreement with the Second Congressional Commission on Education or EDCOM II.

The body unanimously adopted Senate Resolution No. 819 introduced by Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Pia Cayetano, Francis Escudero, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Majority Leader Joel Villanueva.

The EDCOM II and DLSU formally ratified their research collaboration through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement made and executed last June 14.

The EDCOM II is mandated by Republic Act 11899 to implement a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector for the purpose of recommending transformative, concrete and targeted reforms in the sector with the end in view of making the Philippines globally competitive in both education and labor markets in the next three years or from 2023 to 2025.

Consistent with its vision-mission to be a leading learner-centered and research-university and its core values of faith, service, and communion, DLSU had conveyed its intention to support the mandate and objectives of EDCOM II.

The university undertakes to conduct the following activities under the agreement: a) Submit research inputs for EDCOM II b) Submit concept notes/research proposals from researcher fellows that will be vetted by the EDCOM II Advisory Council and Technical Secretariat and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies c) Organize and set-up Research Teams to produce research that directly responds to the policy questions of EDCOM II and d) Produce Policy Papers that EDCOM II and DLSU shall co-publish to inform policy directions of the EDCOM.

In addition to the responsibilities enumerated above and other commitments as found in the Memorandum of Agreement, DLSU obligates itself to solely cover all the costs in relation to the project.

According to the resolution, the obligations set forth in the Memorandum of Agreement will be instrumental in assisting EDCOM II in its objectives to institutionalize reforms that would not only aim to address the existing issues in the country’s education sector, but would also contribute to the development of an education system that is at par with global standards and more attuned to the needs of the present times.