President Marcos Approves Creation of Cabinet Cluster to Address Educational Gaps

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has given his in-principle approval for the formation of a Cabinet cluster dedicated to education, aiming to develop a comprehensive 10-year national plan to bridge the learning gaps in the Philippines, announced Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara.

According to Philippines News Agency, the president endorsed the proposal during a sectoral meeting at Malacañan Palace. “In principle, he approves of it. And he’d like us to fast-track some of the actions because he sees the urgency. It’s a very deep-seated problem that needed to be addressed for quite some time now. He said creating the cluster is necessary,” Angara told reporters at a press briefing. The newly approved Cabinet cluster will include the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Budget and Management.

Marcos has tasked the member agencies of this cluster to implement “positive interventions” that will support Filipino learners. The initiative was proposed by the 2nd Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) and aims to align and enhance the efforts of various educational and workforce agencies.

Malacañang Press Briefer Daphne Oseña-Paez revealed that Marcos instructed the Cabinet cluster to pursue a “coherent and system-wide” strategy for national integrated education and workforce development. EDCOM executive director Karol Mark Yee elaborated that the cluster would focus on crafting a 10-year integrated national education and workforce development plan to rectify the “failed system of Philippine education.”

Yee emphasized the necessity of this cluster to ensure a unified approach within the education sector. He noted the current independent operation of related agencies without sufficient coordination, which hinders collective progress. “It’s clear that DepEd has to do its work in terms of resolving the learning crisis, but it’s not something that it could achieve on its own. Concerned agencies have to work together. CHED and TESDA also have a big role here,” Yee stated, adding that a long-term national plan is essential for providing a singular, coherent direction for all involved entities.