SEVERAL lawmakers have met with some members of academe in a roundtable discussion focused on the problems currently plaguing the Philippines’ basic education system.

Dr. Leonardo Lanzona Jr. from the Ateneo Department of Economics presented research stating that the country’s education system was already in a state of crisis even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that the centralized education structure and lack of funding due to poor appreciation of foundational learning led to poor learning outcomes and large gaps between learning years and proficiency.

In response, Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo stressed that decentralization in a country with a multiple-party system can be challenging, explaining that this could produce varying directions and outcomes in different local government units.

For his part, EDCOM 2 Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee said data shows that the country’s best learners are comparable to the worst performers in Singapore.

Deputy Secretary General Dr. Emmanuel Romulo Miral Jr. of the HRep Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department, meanwhile, pointed out that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his 2023 State of the Nation Address declared that learning recovery will be at the forefront of the education agenda.

Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, called on the Department of Education to be upfront so that policymakers can swiftly craft the appropriate measures that would address the prevailing issues in education.

He added that remedial measures should be implemented within the schools during regular school days.

Dr. Karl Robert Jandoc of the University of the Philippines School of Economics also noted that there is a need to clearly articulate an innovation policy framework and rationalize research centers based on clear parameters, to strengthen the local culture on research and development and the innovation ecosystem.

Batangas Rep. Mario Vittorio Mariño, chairman of the Committee on Trade and Industry, said the government should come up with ways to encourage the private sector to invest in R&D.

Meanwhile, Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, chairman of the committee on ways and means, urged the Department of Science and Technology to invest in basic research.