President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved “in principle” the creation of a Cabinet Cluster for Education aimed at providing strong oversight on all education agencies, said Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.
The Cabinet Cluster for Education, he said, recognizes the urgent need to address the learning crisis that the country is currently facing.
“So towards the end of the meeting, the President said in principle he approves it.”
Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara, also a previous Commissioner of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), said the President looks forward to fast-track some of the actions since he saw the urgency of addressing the learning crisis.
“It is a very deep-seated problem,” he added.
In a Malacañang press briefing, Secretary Angara and EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee underscored the need for greater coordination among the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and other agencies to better align educational policies and address long-standing challenges in education, from early childhood care and development, basic education, higher education, technical and vocational and lifelong learning.
“The learning crisis is not something that DepEd could address on its own. It needs the help of agencies. And it is really the National Education and Workforce Development Plan that will anchor them all to make sure that there is one coherent direction,” explained Cayetano.
“And that is what we proposed to the president,” says Executive Director Yee.
The creation of the cabinet cluster has been supported by various stakeholders including national government agencies and private education institutions who have expressed optimism that the new governance structure will help streamline policies and improve inter-agency coordination.
