Education Pathways Act gets nod

THE House of Representatives approved on third and final reading the proposed Education Pathways Act.

House Bill 11213, the measure, hurdled third and final reading with 200 lawmakers voting for its passage. Three voted in the negative. None abstained.

The bill mandates that upon completing Junior High School, students will choose between two education pathways: the University Preparatory Program under the Department of Education (DepEd) or the Technical-Vocational Program under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).

Upon completion of the full technical-vocational program, the learner "may enroll in colleges or universities and avail of the ladderized education program for educational advancement, the bill adds.

Also on Tuesday, the House approved House Bill 11214 on third and final reading.

This measure, governing the use of school vouchers, hurdled third and final reading with 202 lawmakers voting for its passage. Three abstained.

The bill covers all private basic education institutions that receive government assistance in the form of vouchers for qualified students, teachers and schools, covering all the years of basic education.

"Under the basic education voucher program, kindergarten, elementary, and secondary students enrolled in recognized private basic education schools charging school fees shall be provided by the government with vouchers in such amount as may be determined by the DepEd," the bill states.

"Schools participating in the basic education voucher program may increase tuition on the condition that 70 percent of the amount of the tuition increases shall go to the payment of salaries, wages, allowances and other statutory benefits of teaching and non-teaching personnel, except administrators who are principal stockholders of the school, and may be used to cover salary increases as provided for in the collective bargaining agreements existing or in force at the time when this act is approved and made effective," it reads.

It added that at least 20 percent of the tuition increases should go to the improvement or modernization of buildings, equipment, libraries, laboratories, gymnasia and similar facilities, and to the payment of other costs of operation.

Also, this bill sought to establish a Teachers' Salary Subsidy Fund "to grant government subsidies to teachers in recognized private basic education schools participating in the programs of assistance..."

If this bill is passed into law, the Bureau of Private Education (BPE) under the DepEd will be created.

In a related development, a report released on Jan. 27 by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EdCom 2) highlighted gaps in two of the DepEd's key programs.

In its Year 2 report, the commission noted that the DepEd has yet to formulate additional policies under the National Learning Recovery Program, created under DepEd Order 13, Series of 2023, including policies for the National Reading Program, National Math Program, and the National Science and Technology Program.

It also said that Catch-Up Fridays, which was introduced as part of the Matatag education agenda and dedicated Fridays to activities aimed at improving reading skills, and integrating values, health and peace education, has lacked "robust teacher training, adequate lesson guides, and clear guidelines on research-based reading interventions."

"The absence of reliable assessment and support for teachers to enhance their reading literacy skills has hampered progress," the report added.

According to the Comprehensive Reading and Literacy Assessment administered to Grades 1 to 3 students, 4 percent of learners from the Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas and the National Capital Region required full intervention, 24 percent needed moderate intervention, and the remainder needed light intervention.

The report also noted that the content of intervention camps often does not align with the required grade-level competencies, such as focusing on basic arithmetic for Grade 8 students instead of more advanced topics, such as algebra and quadratic equations.

"This discrepancy leaves learners lagging behind in both current and earlier grade-level proficiencies," the commission noted.

EdCom 2 recommended to continue capacitating teachers, reducing administrative tasks and providing necessary resources, while a House resolution was filed by commission co-chairman Rep. Roman Romulo and former representative Francisco Benitez to suspend the regular academic program for eighth to 12 weeks to implement an effective learning recovery program for K–12 learners.

"It also stresses the need for continuous, targeted, and differentiated remediation throughout the school year to address both current and earlier grade-level proficiencies, as current programs such as the NLRP and Catch-Up Fridays are deemed insufficient," the report said.

Meanwhile, the commission also noted that out of the 24 million learners in public schools, over 5.1 million are considered "aisle learners," or those who are among in a class in excess of the ideal number of 25-45 learners in a classroom, indicating a significant shortage of learning spaces in overcrowded public school classrooms.

"[T]he process of building new classrooms has been slow, inefficient, and unsustainable. Moreover, population growth, finite buildable space, and changing needs continue to outpace the government's capacity to build, emphasizing the urgency for more diverse and effective solutions," the report noted.