The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) strongly urges Congress to conduct a comprehensive review of House Bill 11213, titled “An Act Providing Education Pathways for Basic Education Students,” which recently passed the third reading in the House of Representatives.
Given that HB 11213 proposes significant changes to the existing K to 12 program established by Republic Act 10533, COCOPEA is deeply concerned about its potential impact on the learning outcomes of Filipino students and the constitutional right to accessible, quality basic education.
As Senior High School and Tech-Voc programs are rendered merely optional for students under the HB 11213, basic education becomes a premature exit point for many students, which affects their future growth, employment, health, social mobility, and overall productivity. This fundamental policy change conflicts with the constitutional mandate to protect and promote quality education at all levels and make it accessible to all.
Moreover, the proposed complete separation of the Tech-Voc track from secondary education under the House Bill weakens the stability of the program as it no longer enjoys the constitutional compulsoriness and mandate of free public secondary education.
Our performance in global student assessments, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), highlights that while we’ve aligned with the global standard of 12 years of schooling, we continue to fall behind in terms of learning outcomes.
Schooling is not the same as learning (World Bank, 2018).
This discrepancy calls for renewed focus on the quality of learning, rather than changing the number of years of schooling, and thus necessitating urgent reforms focusing on curriculum quality, content delivery, accessibility, and governance-many of which can be addressed without the enactment of new legislation.
With the House of Representatives’ approval of HB 11213, and the conclusion of the legislative calendar of the 19th Congress, we continue to call for the measure’s careful examination and its potential impact on the Filipino learners and the Philippine education sector.
As the sector already suffers from reform fatigue, with many proposed reforms not delivering on their intended quality objectives and outcomes, it behooves Congress to consider more in-depth studies on the implications, challenges and benefits of House Bill 11213 and how is it aligned with the significant recommendations of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), before proceeding any further to ensure that the Philippine education system remains responsive to the evolving needs of Filipino learners.
