THE SENATE has approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks the creation of the Second Congressional Commission on Education.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that the approval is a crucial step in addressing the country’s education crisis and in preventing the collapse of the education system.

“Napapanahon na ang pagkakaroon ng EDCOM II upang masuri ang mga hamong hinaharap ng sektor ng edukasyon. Mahalaga ito upang maipanukala natin ang mga kinakailangang reporma na mag-aangat sa kalidad ng edukasyong ibinibigay natin sa ating mga kabataan,” Gatchalian, sponsor and co-author of the measure, said.

Under Senate Bill 2485, the EDCOM II will be tasked to conduct a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector.

The national assessment and evaluation will review how mandates are observed under the laws that created the three education sub-sectors: Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

After the review, the committee will recommend transformative, concrete and targeted reforms in the education sector to make the Philippines an intellectual power in Asia.

The same assessment will also identify factors that contributed to the continuing failure in the performance of learners in identified subject areas set by international and local standards.

It will also recommend specific, targeted and time-bound solutions to improve the performance of education sectors in relation to measurable indicators.

The proposed commission will be composed of 10 members — five from the Senate and five from the House of Representatives.

The members from the Senate will be the chairpersons of the following committees: Basic Education, Arts and Culture; Higher, Technical and Vocational Education; Finance; Science and Technology; and Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development.

From the Lower House, the members will be the chairpersons of the committees in Basic Education and Culture; Higher and Technical Education; Appropriations; Science and Technology; and Labor and Employment.