SENATOR Joel Villanueva on Wednesday stressed the urgent need to harmonize education policies and strengthen coordination among education agencies as he pushed for the passage of a bill creating the Third Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM III).

Speaking at the hearing of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education chaired by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, Villanueva thanked the panel for prioritizing reforms that would prepare students and professionals for the demands of a rapidly changing future.

“Cohesive planning and effective coordination among our education agencies have become lacking and insufficient under the current trifocalized system,” Villanueva said, citing the Year One Report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II).

Villanueva, along with Cayetano, Senate President Chiz Escudero, and Senator Pia Cayetano, filed Senate Bill No. 103 seeking to convene EDCOM III to address systemic gaps.

He cited the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), which showed that about 19 million Filipinos aged 10 to 64 lack functional literacy due to poor comprehension skills.

Higher education participation remains at just 34.89%, far below the ASEAN average of 41.10%. Even more troubling, the attrition rate in higher education is at 39%, with some regions recording staggering figures—93.4% in BARMM, 60.7% in Region VII, and 59.5% in CAR.

“These numbers highlight the need to trace and monitor the deterrents for our kababayans in pursuing higher education so agencies can craft interventions to address these challenges,” Villanueva said.

He added that stronger coordination among education agencies is vital, especially as artificial intelligence reshapes education and the labor market.

“Imagine the impact if all education agencies are working in full coordination—united in purpose and focused on achieving our shared goals,” he said.

Villanueva expressed hope the hearing would pave the way for a unified roadmap through harmonized policies and aligned priorities.

“May this hearing be an opportunity for us to work together on the measures we all aspire to pass,” he concluded.