EDCOM II: Media on findings and future effects

THE SECOND Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), a national commission established in 2022 to assess the performance of the Philippine education sector, concluded its legislative mandate on January 23. 

The difficulty of reporting on the findings and recommendations is obvious. The EDCOM II document is massive at 600 pages, expansive in its breadth and in-depth in its analysis of issues and problems of the education sector. 

EDCOM II’s Final Report, ‘Turning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reform (2026-2035)’ was released on January 26, backed by three years of study and discussion. The study confirms that the crisis involves other non-educational failures. 

For example, the alarming collapse in the proficiency of learners is rooted in the failure of early childhood care and development (ECCD) programs, resulting in the severe malnutrition among children. 

The report concentrates on urgent concerns that lie within the sphere and purview  of the Department of Education’s (DepEd), such as the mass promotion of students despite their failure to meet learning standards, the congested school calendars, to name two much-lamented practices. 

Media coverage of the release highlighted these as major issues confirmed by the study, emphasizing the need for prompt action. 

EDCOM II has proposed the National Education Plan (2026-2035) (NatPlan) as a way of addressing the crisis.  NatPlan presents a decade-long roadmap of reform that intends to reverse the country’s educational decline and achieve learning recovery through legislation and executive action.

Media coverage from January to early February

News reports gave due prominence to the second EDCOM’s Final Report and the proposed NatPlan proposal across online, paper, and TV. Philippine Daily Inquirer, BusinessMirror, and Manila Bulletin placed the story on their front pages, highlighting the widespread concern about education nationwide. Coverage by the three news outlets reported on the event, discussed the commission’s findings and recommendations, and underscored the need for sustained government action.

Initial coverage across all online news platforms emphasized the urgency of EDCOM II’s recommendation to immediately end the practice of automatic mass promotion in public schools, halting the practice of allowing failing students to advance to the next grade level. This practice has been acknowledged as a significant aspect and cause of the poor state of the education in the country. 

Television, for its part, featured in their public affairs programs In-depth interviews with EDCOM II Executive Director Karol Mark Yee aired on OneNewsPH on January 27 and ANC on February 5. These sources discussed the root causes of poor learning, calling attention to the weakness of early childhood (ECCD)  programs under Local Government Units (LGUs) nationwide. 

Rappler’s Acor Arceo stood out for the breadth of her coverage of EDCOM II from January 27 to February 4 – discussing the most pressing challenges confronting the education sector — the decline of grade-level proficiency with only 30% of Grade 3 students and 0.4% among Grade 12 students passing; the practice of automatic promotion and the straitened school calendars that include non-academic activities, including the disruption caused by disasters when classrooms are used as evacuation centers for displaced communities. 

Key sources enhanced reporting, and sharpened the urgent call for government action and accountability. Arceo identified the institutional roles and responsibilities of key government agencies which are expected to initiate reforms. Rappler did not just focus on the event, but expanded the scope of concerns to include the entire apparatus of governance. 

A shared responsibility

On January 29, Manila Bulletin, Daily Tribune, and Inquirer.net picked up Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary  Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara’s statement calling for a “whole-of-government approach” to the crisis of basic education. Angara pointed out that some of the critical policy actions were beyond the department’s authority and needed the coordinated action among government agencies (naming the National Nutrition Council, the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). 

The coverage of the three news organizations pointed to recommendations that involved other branches of government such as the need for new legislation and policy changes that involve local government units in use of education funds. It also highlighted the call for greater private sector participation. 

Conclusion 

The learning crisis has been the subject of media coverage through the years. With the findings of EDCOM II, media can more easily follow up on identified solutions, tracking government’s implementation of the NatPlan or its failure, singling out agencies that fail to implement the road map.  

Media should follow up with more reports focusing on the impact of EDCOM II. Reporters assigned to the DEPED “beat” should gain a familiarity with the key findings discussed in the study as this would help to create a more coherent coverage, recording the events and discussing developments that address the gaps and weaknesses identified by EDCOM II. In contrast, the absence of any actual response or policy changes that counter the recommendations of the study should be noted as such. 

The watchdog role of the press can make a difference and ensure that EDCOM II is not reduced to an empty exercise, a waste of time and thinking.