Benjie Alejandro

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s renewed commitment to educational reform, highlighted during the submission of the EDCOM II Final Report, signals both continuity and ambition. The administration’s emphasis on aligning reforms with expert recommendations and launching the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (NatPlan 2026–2035) reflects a desire to institutionalize long-term strategies rather than short-term fixes. 

On the positive side, the government’s record-high education budget—PhP1.345 trillion, surpassing global benchmarks—demonstrates political will. Investments in curriculum revision, teacher career progression, digital connectivity, and classroom construction directly address long-standing deficiencies. The inclusion of health initiatives like the YAKAP Caravans and expanded scholarships for specialized fields also shows a holistic approach, recognizing that education cannot be divorced from student well-being and workforce readiness. 

Yet, critical questions remain. First, while the budget allocation is unprecedented, the challenge lies in execution. Philippine education has historically struggled with absorptive capacity—funds often fail to translate into measurable improvements in learning outcomes. Second, the learner-centered curriculum is promising, but its success depends on teacher training and classroom realities. Overcrowded classes, uneven internet access, and administrative burdens risk undermining reforms. Third, while scholarships and technical-vocational programs expand opportunities, equity issues persist: rural learners, indigenous communities, and marginalized groups often remain excluded from systemic gains. 

Moreover, the President’s framing of reforms as a response to pandemic learning loss and climate change impacts is accurate but incomplete. The deeper structural problems—such as declining performance in international assessments, persistent gaps in reading comprehension, and the mismatch between education and labor market needs—require more than incremental adjustments. Sustaining momentum means confronting entrenched inefficiencies and ensuring accountability at every level of the system. 

In sum, the administration’s initiatives deserve recognition for ambition and scale. However, the true test of reform lies not in budget size or policy pronouncements, but in whether Filipino learners experience tangible improvements in classrooms, skills, and opportunities. Momentum is valuable, but without rigorous monitoring and inclusive implementation, it risks becoming another cycle of promises rather than progress.