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10-Point Education Reform Agenda
An Education President and his/her government must:
1 Promote academic excellence
We must develop individuals who possess information and communication skills,
thinking and problem-solving skills, and interpersonal and self-directional skills
acquired through a research-based curriculum that focuses on knowledge relevant to
the real world.
To this end, we must develop globally benchmarked standards of performance for
both teachers and students on which accountability will be based and establish a
credible, reliable, and transparent monitoring, assessment, and evaluation system by
an independent and competent institution.
2 Develop community ownership
Community involvement is a key element of a successful school. We must enable
communities to organize themselves to ensure that the school stays focused on its
goals and that interventions provided by different organizations are sustained.
Community involvement in education unlocks local resources and energies and makes
the schools more accountable, creating a better platform for sustainability.
To this end, we must mandate the local DepEd and the schools to recognize and work
with their communities and allocate resources for capability-building programs for
community groups.
3 Ensure universal access
We must ensure access to Education for all Filipinos regardless of social class,
ethnicity or physical disability. Every Filipino has the right to quality basic education
(including pre-school).
To this end:
we must expand proven alternative delivery modes for education such as
Project E-Impact that effectively address the challenges of huge class sizes and
multi-grade schools
we must continue and expand the conditional cash transfers program that has
proven to help ensure that the poorest children go to school
we must address education access concerns of our differently-abled and
indigenous brothers and sisters, including the ARMM. The role of non-formal
education and alternative learning must be considered.
4 Build transparency and accountability across the system
Reforms are only possible if education policy and governance are founded on
principles of inclusiveness, transparency and accountability.
To this end:
Government deliberations must be conducted openly and all relevant
information should be made available to the general public
The decision-making process must be inclusive and consultative. Local
governments and parents must increasingly be involved in school-based
planning
The incentive structure must reward performance and discourage/sanction non-
performance
Local School Boards must be reinvented and made functional to broaden
participation and its functions
Education delivery, administration, governance and accountability must
gradually be decentralized to school and community level.
5 Provide adequate resources
We must provide adequate resources for the necessary inputs to achieve quality
education for all.
To this end:
we advocate increasing the national budget for pre-school and basic education
to 4% of the GDP to attain the goals of Education for All by 2015
we must all work together to ensure zero tolerance for corruption, waste and
political influence in the allocation and disbursement of education resources.
6 Empower teachers
Teacher quality as manifested in professional knowledge, practice and commitment is
an indispensable instrument to academic excellence and moral functioning. Teacher
welfare and high morale are impetuses to lifelong professional development.
To this end:
we must ensure that every teacher is given the opportunity and the privilege for
professional development through competency-based teacher standards in a
continuum of pre-service and in-service training and development programs
tied up to teachers career progression and teacher welfare/ incentive schemes
we must support teacher development and welfare through incentives,
increased training, moral fortification, and professionalization of the teaching
profession, enabling teachers to dream and make dreams happen.
7 Enhance basic education
Quality basic education is the foundation for vocational and higher learning. We
cannot continue tolerating a weak system. We must stop wasting the many years and
huge sums invested towards system-wide education reform.
To this end:
we must ensure continuity of the Basic Education Reform Agenda and its key
reform thrusts including competency based teacher standards, school based
management and mother tongue instruction
we must establish a universal pre-school system that must include both local
government and public-private partnerships
we must plan and begin the move into the global standard of a 12 years basic
education track to address a key obstacle to quality education.
8 Support private education
A healthy education system must include an effective, vibrant and sustainable private
school system. Difficulties of the private schools, exacerbated by system-wide
deterioration of Philippine education, must also be addressed.
To this end:
the establishment of loan programs and grant vehicles such as the Fund for
Assistance to Private Education should continue to be supported by
Government to make private education at all levels more affordable to more
people
public-private partnerships to deliver better education must be encouraged and
expanded.
9 Strengthen higher education
A level playing field and academic and curricular freedoms are keys to strengthening
higher education in the Philippines.
To this end:
we must revisit the original role of the Commission on Higher Education
(CHED)
we must provide more resources for world class centers of excellence and an
expanded scholarship voucher system for higher education, rather than
continuing subsidies for low quality State Universities and Colleges and Local
Universities and Colleges
we must make available Government scholarships loans, through SSS, GSIS or
the banking system, on a study now, pay when employed scheme for needy
and academically qualified tertiary and technical/vocational education students
to enroll in accredited public and private higher education institutions.
10 Maximize alternative learning
Effective learning has been happening in and outside formal schooling. In
ensuring access to education for all, the role of alternative learning systems
(ALS) must be recognized in the education sector and the world of work.
To this end, we must develop a united platform for convergence of
all ALS proponents and sectors and form a multi-stakeholder body for the
measurement and assessment of ALS and for the accreditation and recognition
of ALS graduates including employability.
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