Marcos urged to get all education agencies 'on the same page'MANILA, Philippines — The country's learning crisis has become so pervasive at all levels that different agencies need to consolidate their policies to drive effective reforms, according to a congressional body tasked with reviewing the education system. Senators serving as commissioners of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) on Tuesday filed a concurrent resolution urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to create a "cabinet cluster" to unify the current fragmented implementation of education policies and reforms. EDCOM 2 is pushing for the creation of a cabinet cluster composed of the three main education agencies: the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Why unify different education agencies? In its Year One report, the congressional body pointed out that since the "trifocalization" or separation of education agencies into DepEd, CHED and TESDA in the 1990s, there has been a "lack of effective coordination among education agencies toward agreed-upon goals."
