President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. created the Education and Workforce Development Group to address the education and employment problems in the country. According to Marcos, current programs are fragmented and have inconsistent policies.
The group aims to create a 10-year plan to align Philippine education and labor force with the needs of the global economy. The plan includes identifying priority programs, strengthening the labor market system, and better coordination of agencies.
Under Administrative Order 36, Marcos will be the chair, with the Education Secretary as co-chair and the Labor Secretary as vice chair. Also included are CHED, TESDA, DMW, NEDA, and other agencies.
Meanwhile, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) slammed Sara Duterte after she said that education in the country is still tied to “paper and pencil.” According to ACT, the problem is not paper and pencil, but leaders who prioritize personal interests. The group also cited anomalies during his term such as ₱125 million confidential funds spent in 11 days and unimplemented projects.
In addition, the DepEd is studying leasing buildings to be used as classrooms and coordinating with LGUs for the construction of classrooms. There is a shortage of 165,443 classrooms nationwide, so properties that can be rented are being looked at.
