Being pragmatic with education reform

WE were recently quoted as pointing to “too much politics, red tape, and overregulation” as the principal challenges in implementing reforms in our country’s education sector. We noted that “there are good politics and there are bad politics,” and “the question is how to stop the bad politics.”

Politics is a crucial element in the success or failure of policies and legislation that the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EdCom II) is working on. This is inevitable—resources are limited. We know this all too well in the Philippines.

This is why we are targeting 28 priority issues to focus on in our three-year lifespan. This is also why our co-chair, Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, also said that while politics is partly the cause of the dismal state of our education system, political will is also necessary to bring us out of it.

At EdCom II, we are fortunate to have commissioners that are pragmatic and enlightened to acknowledge and understand this. Putting something into law does not always mean it will be implemented. We know for a fact that some provisions of laws are unimplemented or unfunded. We need to be circumspect that policies are not always the problem—sometimes there are political or cultural elements at play that affect implementation.

EdCom II is also considering other factors aside from politics, of course. In the past month, we have begun reaching out to concerned stakeholders through consultations. The public can also participate, through our EduKonsultasyon campaign. In our Green Papers, we lay out the current state of affairs in our priority areas, and pose specific, targeted questions for the concerned public to answer.

We hope that, through these conversations, we spark a much-needed and long-overdue national dialogue for the betterment of our education system. As we have learned from EdCom I, reform is ineffective without the Filipino public’s support. This, above all, will play a vital role in the success of this commission.

Dr. Karol Mark Yee,

executive director,

EdCom II