Industry leaders called on the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to implement long-term education reforms that extend beyond political cycles, warning that inconsistent policies have fueled the country’s decades-long learning crisis.
The advocacy group Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) emphasized that policy stability is crucial for boosting student achievement and preparing Filipino learners for the modern workforce.
“The government must ensure policy continuity and remove long-standing structural bottlenecks through legislation. At the same time, local governments and school leaders must be given greater authority to make decisions closer to learners,” PBEd Executive Director Bal Camua said in a statement.
Persistent Challenges in Education
PBEd highlighted that the issues plaguing the Philippine education system today mirror those identified by the First Congressional Commission on Education over 30 years ago. Key issues include:
- Subpar teacher quality
- Classroom and learning resource shortages
- Student malnutrition
- Weak foundational skills
- A mismatch between school curricula and industry needs
“Thirty-five years is long enough to diagnose the crisis. The next chapter must be about execution,” PBEd Chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr. noted.
Urgency in Implementation
The organization stressed that policy execution must be swift, as educational delays permanently affect a student’s development.
“Education reform cannot simply be a program that matures five or 10 years from now. A child gets only one first grade, only one sixth grade, and only one chance to graduate from high school prepared for what comes next,” Del Rosario added.
While past administrations have launched various programs, PBEd noted that implementation has lagged behind the scale of the learning crisis.
Economic Impact and Private Sector Role
PBEd connected the crisis directly to economic growth, pointing out that local businesses struggle to find skilled workers while many college graduates remain underemployed.
“We cannot be an upper-middle-income economy, compete for high-value investments, or take advantage of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies if millions of Filipinos lack the fundamental skills needed to participate in that future,” Del Rosario warned.
To address these gaps, PBEd encouraged the private sector to help align school curricula with industry needs, support teachers, and enhance school-to-employment pathways.
“The learner comes first, not the institution, not the bureaucracy, and not the political cycle,” Del Rosario said.
“Another generation of Filipino children cannot afford to be left behind while the rest of the country moves forward,” Camua warned.