SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian vowed to continue to push improvements in the quality of education in public schools, where almost 90 percent of learners are enrolled.

The chairman of the Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture said that since the majority of those who will join the workforce will be graduates of public schools, it is crucial to ensure that they have the best education.

“Bibigyan natin ng atensiyon ang ating mga pampublikong paaralan dahil dito nag-aaral ang halos 90% ng ating mga mag-aaral. Kung maaayos natin ang ating mga public schools, maaayos natin ang buong bansa,” Gatchalian said.

For School Year 2021-2022, there are 27.4 million learners in the basic education sector, more than 24 million or 88 percent of which are in public schools.

Gatchalian stressed the need to improve the quality of teacher training and education because teachers are the most important factor in education.

The lawmaker said that the alarming results of three large-scale international assessments — the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment, the 2019 Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics, and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study — add urgency to addressing the crisis in the education system.

All three assessments show that Filipino learners failed to master basic competencies.

Experts warned that the lack of face-to-face classes could aggravate learning losses.

Gatchalian sponsored the Excellence in Teacher Education Act to revamp the Teacher Education Council, which will set and mandate basic requirements for teacher education programs.

The measure also seeks to strengthen the coordination between the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and Professional Regulation Commission.