Private sector supports the convening of a Joint Congressional Education Commission

MAKATI CITY, Philippines – The Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) in a joint meeting with the Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines, Employers Confederation of the Philippines, and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry expressed its interest in and support of convening government-led a multi-sectoral education commission. The meeting was a gathering of 250 business leaders.

The PBEd said that the country business community is supporting the plan in both houses of Congress to convene an Education Commission. The tasked of EdCom according to the resolutions is to produce a set of systemic recommendations and strategic long term policy recommendation.

The business sector said that they are enthusiastic of the continued support of legislators for the education sector and hopes that committee hearings for the EdCom resolutions be done which will set up an EdCom that will meet the needs of our education system.

The urgency was expressed by the business group to addressed the learning crises and convening an EdCom is a critical response to crises.

“We believe that convening the EdCom now is an immediate response to the learning crisis. We understand that we can only overcome the crisis when we work together with Congress. For example, because of our collective efforts, teachers have been moved up the COVID vaccine priority list. We need the same kind of energy to move bigger reforms,” was the group view.

With their expertise in the field of education financing, decentralization, public-private education complementarity, assessment, digital transformation of education for equity and industry-academe linkages standards, training, and employment the private sector grouping is urgently calling for the creation of the Joint Congressional Commission for Education and urges the participation of relevant agencies and various stakeholders.