We welcome our friends in media to our Annual PBEd “Back-to-School” Press Conference. As you may know we take this opportunity every year to discuss with the media continuing concerns for education reform and what we believe are key levers to address our lingering crisis in education.

We view today’s Press Conference as extremely significant for two reasons.

First, we all know that come June 30, President Aquino or P-Noy shall officially take over the reins of government and organize a new team of education managers to implement his 10 points for basic education. Like many other sectors, we are hopeful that the coming change bodes well for Philippine Education.

Second, we have organized this year’s Press Conference as part of the larger Education Nation movement that was first organized in early 2009 to call for an Education President and an Education Government. As you know, it is the goal of Education Nation to bring together the largest ever constituency for Education Reform including teachers, parents, students, civil society organizations, business groups, local governments, donors and other education stakeholders to demand for and help attain quality education for all.

In your kits are the latest education numbers. These include the following:

12.37% – our education budget as a percent of the national budget down from last year’s 13.52% and year 2000’s 14.33%.

2.5% – our education budget as a percentage of GDP that continues to be way below the 5% global average, indicating continuing under investment in education.

7% – desired education budget as a percentage of GDP that AusAID estimates will be needed for the Philippines to catch up with the rest of the world

72% – utilization of Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses or MOOE between 2006 and 2008 indicating poor budget execution

150 – dollars we invent per student per year as compared to Thailand’s $890 and Malaysia’s $1,500.

2 – number of high school graduates out of every 100 who are fit to enter College

15% – elementary students who achieve mastery based on National Achievement Test results

<1% – high schools students who achieve mastery based on National Achievement Test results

Recognizing the continuing challenges in Philippine Education as shown by the above numbers, PBEd and Education Nation sent a letter to President Aquino last June 1 to recommend the following considerations in the appointment of education officials:

1. Your appointees to the DepEd, CHED and TESDA must be willing and able to work together—as originally envisioned after the management of education was first "trifocalized"—because education reform must be system-wide,
2. Said appointees must command the respect of the many education stakeholders including teachers, parents, students, private sector and local governments because education reform should be an inclusive process, and
3. Said appointees must commit to carry through a reform agenda over the next six years because education reform requires a long-term, sustained and strategic effort.

We are pleased to hear that recognized advocates for education reform are being seriously considered for the DepEd and CHED cabinet posts. If we are to ever succeed in improving the numbers above, it is imperative that there be strong and capable leadership in the government’s education agencies.

Together with Education Nation, PBEd remains committed, as the voice of business in education policy and reform, to working with the new administration to help more and more Filipino children learn to learn and learn to achieve. Our proposed directions for sustained reform are outlined in our 10-Point Education Reform Agenda. We are prepared to pursue specific recommendations for each agenda item with government’s education managers as soon as they are appointed. We hope that on top of their priorities shall be the opening up of channels for continuing dialogue and consultation.

Ramon del Rosario Jr, Chairman, PBEd

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