TACLOBAN CITY – Tingog party-list Representative and EDCOM 2 Commissioner Jude Acidre is calling for immediate and comprehensive reforms in the country’s education sector, warning that the worsening learning crisis threatens both public and private institutions, including Catholic schools that serve marginalized communities.
Speaking at the Diocese of Cubao Educational System General Assembly, Acidre presented the Year 2 Report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), outlining critical findings and urgent recommendations.
“The learning crisis is real, and it is deepening,” Acidre said. “We must prioritize foundational learning, invest in our teachers, and address educational inequalities that leave too many learners behind.”
He stressed that the crisis is not exclusive to public schools. “Even Catholic institutions serving low-income communities are affected,” he noted, emphasizing the need for both the public and private sectors to work together to expand access and improve educational outcomes.
Among the key reforms Acidre championed are sustained and strategic investment in teacher training and mentorship; creating supportive teaching communities to revive the vocation and passion in education; and designing long-term solutions through the national education plan currently being crafted by EDCOM 2
Quoting Psalm 127, Acidre grounded the call for reform in a deeper moral and spiritual responsibility, urging educators and leaders to form future generations who will not only succeed but serve and lead with faith and purpose.
“We are not just building minds—we are forming hearts and spirits,” he added.
The report presented by Acidre is part of a multi-year effort by EDCOM 2 to guide transformative policy changes in the Philippine education system through evidence-based research and inclusive dialogue with stakeholders.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
