THE SECOND Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) has formally submitted its final report, Turning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reform, to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., presenting a ten-year strategic roadmap aimed at reversing what it described as a deepening education crisis in the country.

At the heart of the report is the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (NatPlan), which sets ambitious targets to be achieved by 2035, including raising student proficiency rates to 90 percent and increasing education spending to 5.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

EDCOM II said the plan responds to a systemic proficiency collapse revealed by national data, which show that only 0.40 percent of Grade 12 students are currently considered proficient in the National Achievement Test (NAT).

Under the NatPlan, the Commission aims to increase Grade 12 proficiency from 0.40 percent to 90 percent by 2035.

At the foundational level, Grade 3 reading proficiency—measured through the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment—is targeted to rise from 47.74 percent at the end of School Year 2024–2025 to at least 95 percent by 2035.

Numeracy proficiency, measured through DepEd’s Rapid Math Assessment, is also expected to improve from 40.49 percent to 85 percent.

Overall, EDCOM II aims to raise the proportion of Grade 3 learners achieving at least “Proficient” status in the Early Language, Literacy, and Numeracy Assessment from 30.52 percent to 90 percent within the same period.

To meet these benchmarks, the Commission stressed the need to end the long-standing practice of mass promotion, which it said allows learners to advance without mastering essential competencies.

Proposed interventions include the full implementation of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program, the phaseout of grade transmutation policies, and revisions to DepEd’s Office Performance Commitment and Review targets, which currently incentivize zero dropouts and unintentionally encourage mass promotion.

The NatPlan also emphasizes addressing decades of chronic underinvestment in education. While the proposed 2026 national budget has reached a historic 4.5 percent of GDP, EDCOM II is calling for a sustained increase in spending to 5.0 percent by 2031 and 5.5 percent by 2035, aligning the Philippines with global standards.