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WHEREAS,
in the early 1990's, the Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM)
submitted its findings to the Philippine Congress on the education
system and made several policy recommendations. Most of those policy
recommendations have been translated into educational laws but other
important recommendations remain to be acted upon;
WHEREAS,
it has been more than five years since the EDCOM's report and
recommendation, and many important changes have taken place since then
in education, culture and science;
WHEREAS, a country's investment in human capital is crucial to its economic and social development;
WHEREAS,
under the 10-point action plan of the Estrada Presidency, it is
mandated to create a Presidential Commission on Educational reform
(PCER), to define a budget-feasible program of reform, and identify
executive priority policy recommendations and items for a legislative
agenda on education.
WHEREAS,
the PCER is a multi-sectoral body comprised of representatives from
government line agencies, public and private schools at all levels,
teachers, private industry, NGOs, and other concerned sectors;
NOW,
THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA, President of the Philippines, by
virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:
Section 1. Presidential Commission on Educational Reform (PCER)
There
is hereby established the Presidential Commission on Educational Reform
(PCER), under the Office of the President, which shall be a
multi-sectoral body comprised of representatives from government line
agencies, the University of the Philippines, the Open University -
University of the Philippines; public and private schools at all
levels; teachers; the agriculture and industry sectors; the information
technology sector; state colleges and universities; and other concerned
sectors.
Sec. 2. Structure
a. The Commission will be chaired by a person with outstanding
record in education and of proven integrity appointed by the President
for the duration of the life of the Commission.
Members
of the Commission will include the Secretary of Education, Culture and
Sports; the Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education; the
Director-General of the Technical Education Skills Development
Authority; the Director-General of the National Economic Development
Authority; a representative of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and
Industry and a representative from private agriculture; representatives
each from the Department of Interior and Local Government; Department
of Science and Technology, The University of the Philippines,
Department of Finance, the state colleges and universities;
superintendents; public and private school teachers; private and public
school associations.
The
Education Committee Chairmen of the Upper and Lower Houses will be
invited to attend meetings ex-officio either personally or through
their representatives.
b.
There will be a Secretariat, headed by a full-time Executive Director
for the purpose, housed within DECS, and staffed by individuals
seconded by DECS, CHED and TESDA.
c.
There will be a working committee to assist the Executive Director in
the design and conduct of the education sector analysis composed of a
senior representative of concerned Departments, agencies and private
sector constituencies.
Sec. 3. Coverage
The
Commission shall be given one year to define a comprehensive and a
budget-feasible program of reform in the following areas:
1.
Curricula, teaching methods, instructional media, education
technologies, textbooks, language policy and school calendar in use at
the elementary and secondary levels, using international benchmarks.
2.
Modernization of science laboratories, improvement of science and
mathematics education and the feasibility of establishing regional
centers of excellence in science education.
3.
Upgrading of computer classrooms, computing facilities and internet
access in all schools that meet eligibility standards for administering
such programs.
4.
Expansion, modernization and standardization of our vocational and
technical institutions, especially polytechnic colleges and
universities.
5.
Distance learning and continuing education programs, especially for
adults and out-of-school youth, with a view towards possible eventual
accreditation.
6.
Tuition financing schemes intended to bring the effective purchasing
power of students in line with the real costs of tertiary education.
7.
Programs, resources and facilities of state universities and colleges,
other than UP, with the intention of rationalizing their academic
offering and aligning them with employer requirements in their
respective areas.
8.
Governance, organization, programs, resources, and facilities of the
University of the Philippines, with a view towards developing its
flagships campus in Diliman into one of the top ten universities in
Asia in time for the UP Centennial in 2008.
9.
Other priority areas of concern in education that arise from the
research and consultations conducted by the Commission.
Sec. 4. Process.
The
report and the recommendation for both executive policy and legislative
action will be drawn from an analysis by the Commission of the
Philippine educational system, based on research of existing studies
and other secondary sources of data, on extensive consultations with
different sectors, and on interviews with key persons in the system.
Sec. 5. Time Frame
The
Commission will start its work upon the signing of this Executive
Order, and submit its final report and recommendations to the Office of
the President of the Philippines one-year thereafter. The Commission
will automatically be dissolved upon the submission of its report.
Sec. 6. Operating Requirements
The
Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) shall provide the
sum of P4M annually to be sourced from its existing budget for the
operating requirements of Presidential Commission on Educational Reform
(PCER) including the payment of compensation of its Chairman/Members in
the form of honoraria or per diem on a monthly basis as follows:
One (1) Chairman at P10, 000.00
Eighteen (18) Members at P3, 000.00 each
One (1) Executive Director
(on secondment basis) at P20, 000.00
Sec. 7. Effectivity
This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila this 7th day of December in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Eight,
JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA
By the President:cralaw:red
RONALDO ZAMORA
Executive Secretary
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