PEAC Executive Director Doris F. Ferrer participated in the EDCOM II strategic planning workshop and first meeting of the Standing Committee on Early Childhood Care and Development & Basic Education last January 26, 2023 and March 1, 2023, respectively. Director Ferrer is one of the policy advisers to EDCOM II who provide expert assistance and advice to the commission.

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) was created by Republic Act 11899 to undertake a three-year comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the Philippine education sector’s performance, and recommend legislation to address the education crisis in the country in the next three years.

During the strategic planning session held at the University of the Philippines, BGC Campus last January 26, 2023, EDCOM II focused on prioritizing and strategizing how to solve the education sector’s persistent problems such as the lack of focus on foundational skills, uneven resources and budgetary constraints, and the disparity in the quality of education between socioeconomic classes, among others.

During the meeting of the Standing Committee on Early Childhood Care and Development & Basic Education last March 1, 2023, priority areas and issues on early childhood and basic education were identified. The importance of pushing for reforms that undertake a “whole-of-society” approach that taps partnerships, specifically the complementarity between public and private school networks, was also highlighted.