Second Congressional Commission on Education


The Second Congressional Commission on Education is a Philippine Congressional entity created by the 18th Congress of the Philippines.

Overview and History

The body was created by virtue of Republic Act 11899, which lapsed into law on July 23, 2022.
The commission is tasked to conduct a national review of the country's education sector after the COVID-19 pandemic exacted a heavy toll on learning. Its primary goal is to recommend legislation and policies to address the "learning crisis" and improve the quality of education in the Philippines.

The Education Commission of 1991

The first Education Commission was established in 1991. It was tasked with assessing the state of Philippine education and recommending reforms. The commission's findings highlighted issues like low investment, disparities in access, low achievement, and high dropout rates. These findings led to significant changes, including the "trifocalization" of basic education and the creation of CHED and TESDA.

Results of international assessments

The Philippines participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment for the first time in 2018. The country scored the lowest in reading comprehension and the second-lowest in mathematics and science, among 79 participating countries. A report by the World Bank also found that the Philippines’ learning poverty ranks among the highest in the Asian region, at 90.9%. The country fared the worst among the ASEAN countries, with the exception of Lao PDR and Brunei. This means that nine in every 10 Filipinos aged 10 years old need to be taught how to read and to develop their reading comprehension.
The commission was formed as a result of these international assessments, spurred by widespread calls to reform the country's education system.

Mandate and Objectives

Under Section 3 of RA 11899, the objectives of EDCOM II are to:
  • Set specific, targeted, measurable and time-bound solutions that are products of a comprehensive assessment and evaluation, effective planning, and strategic investments in education;
  • Develop a more holistic, harmonized and coordinated education ecosystem, through a review of the mandates of the three agencies of education, namely: the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA);
  • Prioritize the adoption of digital transformation in education, and the use of science, technology and innovation through the promotion of digital literacy, and development of critical thinking, problem-solving and other related core competencies at par with global standards;
  • Promote the development of 21st-century skills, including creativity, communication, collaboration, social skills, leadership, and initiative;
  • Institutionalize educational reforms necessary to meet the new challenges to education, such as the implementation of alternative learning and delivery modes for basic education, higher education and post-secondary technical-vocational education and training as part of the adjustments and responses to the global pandemic, and the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution characterized, among others, by digital revolution or the rapid development of information technology such as artificial intelligence, automation, data analytics, blockchain data sharing, quantum computing, and internet of things analytics; and
  • Recommend the adoption and institutionalization of relevant and meaningful assessment tools, such as teaching and learning competencies assessment tools, based on the best global practices which shall be used by educational agencies and institutions for their continued monitoring, evaluation, and development.
The Commission's principal mandate is identified in Section 4:
"To undertake a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector for the purpose of recommending transformative, concrete and targeted reforms in the sector with the end in view of making the Philippines globally competitive in both education and labor markets."

Composition

The Education Commission is headed by four co-chairpersons who lead the commission jointly – two from the Senate of the Philippines, and two from the House of Representatives.
In total, the commission has ten members, with five members from the Senate and five members from the House of Representatives.

Members

The Second Congressional Commission on Education is composed of the following legislators from the 20th Congress of the Philippines:

Co-Chairpersons

Commissioners

Advisory Council

The commission is guided by an Education, Legislation and Policy Advisory Council, selected by the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives from a pool of recognized experts from the following sectors: the academe, the business sector, government education agencies, heads of LGUs, and from civil society organizations and development partners engaged in education. The members of the council are:

Technical secretariat

  • Dr. Karol Mark Yee serves as executive director of the EDCOM 2 Technical Secretariat

Laws Passed

The Commission has shepherded several laws through the legislative process, namely:
Republic Act No.Name of the LawShort TitleDate of Passage into Law
12199AN ACT FURTHER STRENGTHENING THE EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM, REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10410, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “EARLYYEARS ACT OF 2013”, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOREarly Childhood Care and Development System ActMay 8, 2025
12080AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE PROMOTION AND DELIVERY OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN BASIC EDUCATION BY DEVELOPING SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS, ESTABLISHING SCHOOLS DIVISION MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OFFICES AND CARE CENTERS, PRESCRIBING THE CREATION OF NEW PLANTILLA POSITIONS, AND HIRING AND DEPLOYING SCHOOLS DIVISION COUNSELORS, SCHOOL COUNSELORS, AND SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFORBasic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion ActDecember 6, 2024
12063AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ENTERPRISE-BASED EDUCATION AND TRAINING FRAMEWORK AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOREnterprise-Based Education and Training Framework ActNovember 7, 2024
12028AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN ACADEMIC RECOVERY AND ACCESSIBLE LEARNING PROGRAM AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFORAcademic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program ActOctober 16, 2024
12027AN ACT DISCONTINUING THE USE OF THE MOTHER TONGUE AS MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION FROM KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE 3, PROVIDING FOR ITS OPTIONAL IMPLEMENTATION IN MONOLINGUAL CLASSES, AND AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 4 AND 5 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10533, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2013"October 10, 2024
11984AN ACT MANDATING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO ALLOW DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS WITH UNPAID TUITION AND OTHER SCHOOL FEES TO TAKE THE PERIODIC AND FINAL EXAMINATIONS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSESNo Permit, No Exam Prohibition ActMarch 11, 2024

Policy Advocacy

Aside from legislation, the Commission has also successfully advocated for policy changes and implementation in the executive branch:
Priority AreaDescription
Early Childhood Care and Development Recommendation of the NEDA Social Development Committee to include nutrition in the early years in the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council Agenda.
Early Childhood Care and Development Inclusion of the First 1,000 Days and nutrition-related funding in the early years under DBM’s Program Convergence Budgeting for FY 2026.
Early Childhood Care and Development Increase in cost per capita of DSWD’s Supplementary Feeding Program in the 2025 National Expenditure Plan from Php 15 per hot meal to Php 27 per hot meal.
Early Childhood Care and Development Quadruple increase of DOH’s nutrition budget in the 2025 GAA from Php 235 million to Php 977 million.
Early Childhood Care and Development TESDA Board approval for the prioritization of Child Development Workers Training Regulations development to create an NC III in ECCD on November 13, 2024.
Early Childhood Care and Development Conducted a meeting with DILG  to include ECCD indicators as part of the Seal of Good Local Governance
Basic EducationIssuance of DepEd Memorandum No. 049 s.2024 that mandates Early Procurement Activities to expedite processes and budget utilization for DepEd projects, including the procurement of textbooks, modules, activity sheets, and teacher’s manuals
Basic EducationCommissioned a study on procurement in basic education to facilitate further reforms in textbook provision.
Basic EducationConducted a review of the previous 2019 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey questionnaire, and submitted proposed revisions to the FLEMMS to include additional profiling questions, and to share inputs on improving the instrument for assessing functional literacy
Basic EducationConducted teacher consultations on the MATATAG curriculum and submitted the inputs to DepEd
Basic EducationConducted a Workshop on Legislated Subjects and Activities in Basic Education and Higher Education with DepEd, CHED, TESDA, teacher representatives and submitted inputs to the agencies
Basic EducationConducted consultations and school visits to Quezon City Science High School, Philippine Science High School - Main Campus, and the University of the Philippines - National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development on special curricular programs for science, technology, and mathematics
Higher EducationCHED has fast-tracked the reconstitution of Technical Panels, from only 15 in 2023 to an additional 72 in 2024, leaving only 18 more panels to be reconstituted
Higher EducationGAA 2024 special provision on TES prioritization of the poorest, and the subsequent increase in the share of the 4Ps/Poorest grantees
Higher EducationConducted harmonization workshops as part of ongoing study on empirical-based clustering of characteristics of HEIs as foundation of the proposed typologies
Higher EducationProvided inputs on internationalization of higher education and participated in the deliberations on Resolution of Both Houses No. 7 and Senate Resolution of Both Houses No. 6
Higher EducationIn partnership with USAID UPSKILL, EDCOM participated in an Executive Benchmarking Mission to the US with focus on higher education and governance and finance
Teacher EducationThe Teacher Education Council has begun its full operationalization consistent with RA 11713, beginning with the appointment of its Executive Director last September 6, 2024
Teacher EducationIssuance of CHED Memorandum Order 10 s. 2024, which empowers CHED to impose sanctions, such as program termination and institutional closure, based on a TEI’s performance
Teacher EducationConvened a Technical Working Group on DepEd Hiring and Teacher Ancillary and Administrative Tasks
Technical-Vocational Education and Training Conducted hearing with DEPED, CHED, TESDA, DOLE, and PSA on LMI processes in the Philippines with PIDS Presentation
Technical-Vocational Education and Training Funding of Php 10 million for the development of a generative Artificial Intelligence -powered labor market researcher in the GAA of 2025
Technical-Vocational Education and Training Funding of Php 40 million for the acquisition/development of Artificial Intelligence -powered TVET course builder for Philippine TVET in the GAA of 2025
Governance and FinanceConducted consultations and documented national government efforts to establish coordinative mechanisms for the education sector, which led to the identification of key challenges hindering the permanent establishment of a high-level coordinating body recommended by EDCOM I. This became the basis for drafting the Concurrent  Resolution on the Creation of a Cabinet Cluster for Education currently approved in principle by the President
Governance and FinanceConducted a workshop on complementarity with Mr. Harry Patrinos, an expert resource person from the World Bank Headquarters, to develop a common understanding of complementarity in the Philippines and explore various models and possible directions for the education sector covering ECCD, basic education, TVET, and higher education
Governance and FinanceCommissioned E-CAIR to generate insights on excess enrollment that can be decongested from public schools vis a vis absorptive capacity of private education
Governance and FinanceFinalized a research report on strengthening performance and accountability systems in the Philippine education system based on desk review, workshops and consultation activities, through technical support from USAID ILO-PH

Publications and Outputs

Year One Report

On January 23, 2024, the commission published its Year One Report, entitled Miseducation: The Failed System of Philippine Education. The report highlighted the commission's findings in twelve out of its twenty-eight Priority Areas, following its first year of work.
The report also contained 40 recommendations that target specific objectives by the commission.

Year Two Report

The Commission followed up its first report with its Year Two Report, entitled Fixing the Foundations: A Matter of National Survival, on January 27, 2025. In the report, the Commission advocated for addressing "foundational learning deficits in early childhood and primary education".
Among the findings that EDCOM II highlighted are the shortage of principals in more than half of public schools in the country, that most Grade 3 students were one to two years behind curriculum expectations during the foundational years of learning, government support to only 1.03% of the best and brightest students in the country, the dismal attrition rate in higher education institutions, that 62% of high school teachers teach subjects outside their college major, and that Philippine government spending on education still fails to keep pace with global standards, with basic education receiving the lowest share in the budget, despite its foundational role.

Final Report (Year Three Report)

On January 26, 2026, the commission released its third and final report, entitled Turning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reforms This is in line with RA 11899's mandate to "report to Congress its accomplishments on a periodic basis, its findings and recommendations on actions to be taken by Congress, the departments, and other government agencies concerned with education, and provide a final report at the end of the existence of the Commission."
The report contains the National Education and Workforce Development Plan 2026–2035, a strategic roadmap designed to reverse the country’s systemic "proficiency collapse" marked by a 91% learning poverty rate and only 0.40% proficiency among Grade 12 students. Anchored on three years of empirical findings, the plan outlines 20 Priority Recommendations across six Key Priority Areas —ranging from early childhood nutrition and functional literacy to integrated governance—aiming to achieve ambitious targets such as 95% reading proficiency for Grade 3 and an education budget reaching 5.5% of GDP by 2035. Central to this "turning point" is the shift from diagnosis to synchronized execution, mandating critical reforms such as ending the culture of "mass promotion" through the full implementation of the ARAL Program, resolving teacher specialization mismatches, and institutionalizing the Education and Workforce Development Group to ensure inter-agency coherence.

Other publications

Education Roadmap - Section 7 also mandates that the Commission's Final Report must "include a roadmap with clear key performance indicators and results framework to address the learning crisis". This is set to be included in the Final Report. National Education and Workforce Development Plan - During a January 2025 meeting with President Bongbong Marcos, he instructed the commission to proceed with the development of a National Education and Workforce Development Plan, a strategic initiative to align the nation’s education system and workforce with the rapidly evolving demands of a global economy. The initiative is being co-developed with the Private Sector Advisory Council. This is to be included in the commission's Final Report.

Partners and Stakeholders

EDCOM 2 has partnered extensively with academic institutions, civil society organizations, diplomatic missions, and government organizations to fulfill its mandate. Select partners include:

Commissioned Studies

The Commission's partnerships have produced several studies devoted to education.

Impact

The commission's work has been impactful in the Philippines' education reform landscape. The British Council commended the Commission's Year Two Report, "We commend the EDCOM II Year 2 report for its comprehensive analysis and recommendations, which affirm the momentum of our work in higher education and science. The report highlights the increasing collaborations between foreign institutions and the Philippines, aligning with our shared goal of strengthening the country’s higher education and research ecosystem".
The University of the Philippines Los Baños has also expressed appreciation, saying "We, at UPLB, extend our deepest appreciation to the Second Congressional Commission on Education II for its comprehensive assessment and actionable recommendations as outlined in the Year Two Report, Fixing the Foundations: A Matter of National Survival. This report underscores the fundamental role of early childhood education and nutrition interventions in strengthening the foundational stages of learning. Drawing upon the growing body of evidence, the report sets out a roadmap on what needs to be done in terms of capacitating and empowering our teaching and non-teaching personnel, improving access to higher education, increasing industry participation in technical and vocational education and training and lifelong learning, among others, and how to do it."
The Ateneo de Manila University also lent its commendation to the Commission, saying, "Ateneo remains committed to collaborating with policymakers, educators, and stakeholders in implementing these much-needed reforms. We look forward to further engagements with EDCOM 2 in research, policy advocacy, and capacity-building initiatives that align with our shared vision for a stronger Philippine education system"