THE SECOND Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) has received applications from 113 organizations across all 18 regions of the Philippines for an arts-based youth consultation aimed at gathering students’ perspectives on the country’s education system.

The applicants include student organizations, non-government organizations, community-based youth groups, Sangguniang Kabataan units, and faith-based organizations.

The consultation, organized in partnership with AHA Learning Center, the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), Save the Children Philippines, and UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, will engage junior and senior high school students aged 13 to 20.

Participating organizations will facilitate arts-based sessions in their respective communities, using theater, visual arts, writing, and other creative activities to help young people share their experiences inside and outside the classroom.

The discussions will explore students’ reading and learning difficulties, their sense of safety at school and at home, and their expectations for what education should prepare them for.

EDCOM 2 said the approach would enable learners to express experiences and concerns that may be difficult to convey through conventional surveys and interviews.

The initiative comes amid persistent concerns over literacy, bullying, and violence affecting Filipino children.

According to a March 2026 literacy assessment by the Department of Education, presented by EDCOM 2, only **12.58% of approximately 1.4 million Grade 11 learners could independently read and understand texts.**

Meanwhile, data from the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment showed that one-third of Filipino students reported experiencing bullying at least once a week.

EDCOM 2 also cited a focus group discussion with junior high school students in Baseco, Tondo, where learners shared that fear of retaliation had kept some students away from school for days. Many were also reluctant to report bullying because previous interventions had done little to improve their situation.

A study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, supported by EDCOM 2, further found that nearly four in 10 Filipino children experienced violence from their parents at age 10.

Children exposed to such violence had **52% to 57% lower odds of attending school by age 14** than their peers, according to the study.

The commission said the consultation aims to go beyond statistics by examining how students experience these challenges and identifying changes that could help them learn more effectively.

Central Luzon, CALABARZON, and Cagayan Valley recorded the highest numbers of applicants. Organizations from the Visayas and Mindanao, including Negros Island, Eastern Visayas, Caraga, Davao, Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi, have also expressed interest.

However, EDCOM 2 is still seeking applications from youth-serving organizations in provinces that have yet to be represented, including areas in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and other parts of Mindanao, the Visayas, and Luzon.

“Education reform has to be informed by the learners who live with its results every day,” EDCOM 2 Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee said.

Yee said the response from 113 organizations demonstrates communities’ willingness to ensure that young people’s voices are heard in the education reform process.

He urged organizations in provinces not yet represented to apply before the application period closes to ensure that the consultation captures a broad range of students’ experiences.

Participating organizations must have safeguarding protocols in place, obtain parental consent and the assent of young participants, and sign a data-sharing agreement covering anonymized insights.