PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has created an Education and Workforce Development Group (EWDG) to address challenges confronting the Philippine education sector, including poor teacher support and inconsistent policies.
The President, in issuing Administrative Order No. 36 on August 13, said he would chair the EWDG with Education Secretary Sonny Angara as his co-chairman and the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Bienvenido Laguesman, as vice-chairman.
The members of the EWDG include the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairwoman Shirley Agruis; Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio Baliscan and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Jose Francisco Benitez.
“It is necessary to establish an effective coordinating mechanism among agencies involved in education and workforce development to address long-standing concerns in the education sector to foster a complete, adequate, and integrated education system in the country,” Marcos said in the AO.
He said the report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), titled “Miseducation: The Failed System of the Philippine Education,” also highlighted the problems in the country’s education system, such as the fragmented implementation of education programs, misaligned teacher development efforts, and inconsistent education plans and policies.
EDCOM II also stated that the coordination within the education sector remains a challenge despite the existence of multiple inter-agency bodies on education that are jointly participated in by different government agencies.
Under AO No. 36, the EWDG shall now be the primary coordinating body for all education and workforce development matters in the Philippines.
It shall formulate a 10-year National Education and Workforce Development Plan, which shall guide government agencies in formulating and implementing strategies to align the country’s education and workforce system with the rapidly evolving demands of the global economy.
The 10-year plan should address challenges confronting the education sector; provide a mechanism to strengthen the country’s labor market information system to guide the decision-making of learners and education institutions.
The EWDG shall also evaluate existing inter-agency bodies related to education and workforce development; assess the current legal and policy framework governing these areas, and oversee and monitor the implementation of all programs, activities related to education and workforce development, among others.
The body is also required to submit monthly performance reports to the President and the executive secretary, and may create technical working groups to support its initiatives.
Funding requirements for the implementation of the AO shall be charged to the current and available funds of the member agencies of EWD.
