Gatchalian seeks creation of National Education Council for a more cohesive education agenda

To address what he considers the lack of a cohesive and long-term vision in education, Senator Win Gatchalian pushed anew his proposal to create the National Education Council (NEDCO) which will develop the national education agenda and strengthen coordination among the country's three education agencies: the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

"The world, skills, and demands of industries are changing, so we need a cohesive vision on where we want education to go and that's what we are thinking of legislating: to create that body so that when it comes to education, we are all headed in the same direction," said Gatchalian, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education.

Under Gatchalian's Senate Bill No. 2017, the NEDCO is mandated to institutionalize a system of national coordination in the planning, monitoring, evaluation, implementation, and management of the national education agenda to ensure coherent strategic direction by the DepEd, CHED, and TESDA, and to avoid possible overlaps, gaps, and inconsistencies that may result from non-alignment of policies, plans, and programs.

To help improve learners' performance, the NEDCO's other functions shall also include, among others, the implementation of an action agenda to help the country succeed in education as measured by the National Achievement Test, Programme for International Student Assessment, Education Index, Education for All Development Index, and other indices and measures.

Despite the creation of bodies such as the National Coordinating Council for Education (NCCE) under Executive Order (EO) No. 273 s. 2000 and the Presidential Task Force to Assess, Plan and Monitor the Entire Educational System under EO No. 652 s. 2007, the country's education system has not delivered the outcomes it sought under tri-focalization, Gatchalian said.

The senator recalled that the 1991 Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) recommended splitting the country's education bureaucracy and the tri-focalization of the country's education system. The 1991 EDCOM also proposed the creation of a national council on education to ensure coherence between the policies of the three education sub-sectors.

National Education Council iminumungkahi ni Gatchalian

Upang tugunan ang aniya'y kawalan ng long-term vision o pangmatagalang plano sa edukasyon, muling isinulong ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang kanyang mungkahi na buuin ang National Education Council (NEDCO) na lilikha ng national education agenda at paiigtingin ang ugnayan sa tatlong ahensya ng edukasyon sa bansa: ang Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), at Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

"Patuloy ang pagbabago ng mga skills at ang pangangailangan ng mga industriya kaya kailangan natin ng long-term vision sa edukasyon at iyon ang nais nating isabatas: na buuin ang lupon na ito para nasa iisa tayong direksyon pagdating sa edukasyon," ani Gatchalian, Chairperson ng Senate Committee on Basic Education.

Sa ilalim ng Senate Bill No. 2017, magiging mandato sa NEDCO na gawing institutionalized ang isang sistema ng koordinasyon sa buong bansa sa pagpaplano, pagmonitor, pagsusuri, at pagpapatupad ng national education agenda. Ito ay para tiyaking sumusunod sa isang estratehiya ang DepEd, CHED, at TESDA, at maiwasan ang mga posibleng overlap at kakulangan na magdudulot ng hindi magkakaugnay na mga polisiya, programa, at plano.

Upang maiangat ang performance ng mga mag-aaral, kasama sa mga magiging mandato ng NEDCO ang pagpapatupad ng isang action agenda upang matulungan ang bansang magtagumpay sa edukasyon at magkaroon ng mataas na marka sa mga batayang tulad ng National Achievement Test, Programme for International Student Assessment, Education Index, Education for All Development Index, at iba pa.

Bagama't nilikha na dati ang mga lupong tulad ng National Coordinating Council for Education (NCCE) sa ilalim ng Executive Order (EO) No. 273 s. 2000 at ang Presidential Task Force to Assess, Plan and Monitor the Entire Educational System sa ilalim ng EO No. 652 s. 2007, marami sa mga layunin ng bansa ang hindi natupad nang hatiin sa tatlong sektor ang buong sistema ng edukasyon, ani Gatchalian.

Matatandaang inirekomenda ng 1991 Commission on Education (EDCOM) ang paghahati sa tatlong ahensya ng sistema ng edukasyon sa bansa. Ngunit inirekomenda rin ng 1991 EDCOM na magkaroon ng isang national council upang matiyak ang ugnayan sa polisiya ng tatlong mga ahensya.