The Makati City local government announced that the University of Makati (UMak) has been chosen as the lone representative of local universities and colleges in the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II).
Makati City Mayor Abby Binay said that this latest recognition showcases UMak’s excellent performance in providing high-quality education to Makatizens that will be used in the formulation of new policies and recommendations aimed at improving the quality of education in the country.
In February 2022, the Senate approved on third and final reading the creation of EDCOM II which seeks to find ways on how to respond to the country’s educational crisis and improve the educational system.
According to Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian, the proponent of the law, EDCOM II will be tasked to undertake a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector.
The purpose of the review is to recommend transformative, concrete, and targeted reforms in the sector to make the Philippines an intellectual power in Asia.
The national assessment and evaluation will review how mandates are observed under the laws that created the three education sub-sectors: Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The same assessment will also identify factors that have contributed to the continuing failure in learner performance on identified subject areas to meet the desired international and local standards and will also recommend specific, targeted and time-bound solutions to improve the performance of education sectors in relation to measurable indicators.
The commission shall then accomplish its mandate within two years from its organization. A Technical Secretariat, which shall co-exist with the Commission, will work for another two years after the duration of EDCOM II to provide administrative oversight on the Commission’s policy recommendations.
State think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) will serve as the research arm of the commission.
