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Bella Cariaso - The Philippine Star
January 28, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Amid findings that show a steep decline in student proficiency nationwide, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) has called for the immediate end of mass promotions, where teachers are pressured to pass unqualified learners to meet administrative performance targets.
Citing the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment for school year 2024-2025, the report “Turning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reforms” revealed that 48.76 percent of learners are not reading at grade level by Grade 3.
While 30.5 percent of students are proficient at that stage, mastery steadily weakens as learners advance, dropping to just 0.40 percent by Grade 12.
EDCOM 2 attributed the crisis to multiple systemic failures, including early childhood stunting that affects 23.6 percent of children, limited access to early childhood education, with participation among three- to four-year-olds at only 34 percent, and policies that allow learners to advance despite poor mastery.
Learning losses are further aggravated by shortened school years, with students averaging only 191 actual class days and some regions losing up to 42 days to suspensions and school activities.
“Without addressing these basics, downstream reforms in higher education will fail,” EDCOM 2 said.
“Central to this roadmap is fixing the foundations, which includes the full implementation of the ARAL Program, the immediate end to mass promotion practices, the phaseout of DepEd grade transmutation policies and a commitment to investing at least five percent of gross domestic product in education, with resources frontloaded to the early years,” the commission added.
Earlier findings of the commission also flagged an accumulated classroom backlog of 165,000, the absence of textbooks from 2013 to 2023 and excessive administrative workloads that pull teachers away from instruction.
Turning point
To address the learning crisis in the country, EDCOM 2 formally submitted yesterday to the House of Representatives the report, along with the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (NatPlan) for 2026 to 2035.
House committee on higher and technical education chairman Rep. Jude Acidre, together with Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo and fellow commissioners Reps. Steve Solon, Zia Adiong and Anna Tuazon, led the submission of the commission’s findings and the 10-year roadmap aimed at addressing the country’s learning and workforce challenges.
In a privilege speech at the plenary, Acidre said the education crisis, while deep, remains solvable, pointing to reforms achieved during EDCOM II’s three-year mandate.
“We are no longer just talking about prioritizing education; we are funding it… We are putting the ‘public’ back in public service,” Acidre said.
As chair of the higher and technical education panel, Acidre underscored persistent gaps in the sector, including rigid credentialing systems, weak linkages between skills training and degree programs and mismatches between education outcomes and labor market needs.
Acidre said the NatPlan 2026-2035 will guide reforms over the next decade.
“The document we submit today…is our covenant for the next decade. It is a plan anchored on the belief that Filipino talent is indisputable. Across the world, Filipinos thrive even in the most demanding environments. Imagine what our youth can achieve if their own country finally gives them the support they deserve,” Acidre said.
“This plan is not just a list of targets; it is a promise,” he added. “The turning point is here. The future can be bright – so long as we respond with urgency, discipline and unity.”
Upon submission of the report and NatPlan, the DepEd, for its part, committed to lead the next decade of education reforms.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the department would translate long-standing recommendations into concrete, time-bound actions for schools, teachers and learners.
“Many of the recommendations reflect reforms that DepEd has already started implementing. What we are doing now is moving faster, scaling up and tightening accountability,” Angara said.
DepEd vowed to continue working with Congress and development partners to monitor progress under the NatPlan, stressing that success over the next decade will be measured by faster implementation and tangible improvements in learning outcomes.
“Turning point is ultimately a nation-building agenda, and its success will depend on collective action,” he said, urging lawmakers, local government units, industry partners, parents and civil society to sustain reforms beyond political cycles. — Jose Rodel Clapano
